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BRIEF: Vineland court officials seeking change of venue for student's harassment claim against Vineland city councilmanVINELAND, Feb 25, 2013 (The Press of Atlantic City - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A harassment charge filed against City Councilman John Procopio by the mother of one of his Vineland High School homeroom students will be moved to another municipal court venue. Maribel Cruz alleges in a complaint filed with Municipal Court officials that Procopio yelled, "Let's do this, punk," at her son on Tuesday. The incident occurred while 16-year-old Jeremiah Cruz was calling his mother on his cell phone during a power failure at the Vineland High School campus on Tuesday. District officials said they had waived a ban on using cell phones in class because of the extraordinary nature of the event. Maribel Cruz, who lives in the 100 block of South East Avenue, further charges in the complaint that Procopio, who teaches at the high school, kicked her son out of homeroom. The alleged incidents were done "in a manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm," the complaint reads. Procopio is scheduled to appear in Municipal Court here on March 13. However, City Municipal Court Director Donna Buckman said she is contacting other municipal courts where the case could be heard. She said she could have a new location for Procopio's court case by Tuesday. ___ (c)2013 The Press of Atlantic City (Pleasantville, N.J.) Visit The Press of Atlantic City (Pleasantville, N.J.) at www.pressofatlanticcity.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |