Vernon Township Police carry the torch for Special Olympics
SUSSEX COUNTYOn Friday June 3, the Vernon Township Police Department, along with other police agencies in the state, participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run to raise money to support the Special Olympics. The Torch Run, sponsored by law enforcement offices, involves a series of relays that start at several locations all over the state. The torch is passed from police department to police department, and eventually ends up at the College of New Jersey in Trenton for the opening ceremonies for the New Jersey Summer Special Olympics. The Vernon branch started at 6:30 a.m. at Mountain Creek, the site of the New Jersey Winter Special Olympics. The runners proceeded south on Rte. 94 and entered Hardyston Township, where runners from Hardyston Police joined the Vernon runners. They continued to the intersection of Rte. 94 and Rte. 23, where they met runners who had started at High Point. The runners continued south on Rte. 23, passing the torch through each jurisdiction until it reached Trenton. The following made contributions to the Torch Run: Mountain Creek, Hidden Valley Resort, Legends Resorts, McAfee Hardware, Dunkin Dounuts, Minerals Resort, Falls View Grill, Aspen Environmental, Eckerd Drugs, Vernon Township Road Deptartment, Mixing Bowl Deli, Days Inn, Pizza Pros, Daily Swim, and the George Inn. The Vernon Twonship Police Department collected donations in excess of $3,000 for the Special Olympics. Participants from the department included Sgt. John Kazmierczak, patrolmen Jason Haw, Mike McCleary, Dan B. Young, Ken Kuzicki, Bill Mutz, Dan S. Young, Dave Dehardt, Bill Terill, Shaun Fitzgerald, and communications officers Jim Ditacconi and Anthony Locke.