Lumberton mayor indicted for endangering her child while allegedly driving under the influence
Gina LaPlaca, 46, was arrested in March and is still listed as mayor on the township's website.
The mayor of Lumberton Township, who was charged earlier this year with driving under the influence, has been indicted on charges of failing to protect her then-2-year-old son who was in the car at the time of the incident, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said Thursday.
Gina LaPlaca, 46, was charged by a grand jury with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree child abuse, Bradshaw said. LaPlaca is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.
She previously was charged with several offenses, including child endangerment.
LaPlaca, who was still listed on the township’s website as mayor of Lumberton Thursday, could not be reached for comment.
On her Facebook account, LaPlaca posted as recently as Wednesday promoting Lumberton’s holiday tree lighting celebration set for Friday evening.
After her March arrest, LaPlaca was censured by the township’s committee for alleged ethical violations, one of the committee members said, including allegedly driving under the influence, asking for Lumberton’s police chief while she was being arrested, and endangering her child.
The arrest has been widely viewed on video taken from police body cameras.