TOMS RIVER — An undercover police officer appearsto have engaged in a justifiable use of deadly forcewhen he shot at a vehicle that nearly hit him as it spedaway earlier this week, the Ocean County prosecutorsaid Friday.

While Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronatosaid any final determination would wait until his officeconducts official interviews of the officers, the prose-cutor did outline what he knows of the actions that led tothe shooting and why he thinks it appears justified.

“It appears to be an appropriate shooting,” Coronatosaid. “Our investigation is not concluded.”

No injuries were reported.Here’s how Coronato described the incident:Two undercover officers had been conducting sur-

veillance of a house in the Grande Woodlands develop-ment around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, Coronato said. Thepair — dressed in plainclothes and outside of an un-

Ocean CountyProsecutor Joseph D.Coronato is continuingto investigate theshooting. FILE PHOTO

Cop’s deadly

force ‘appears

... appropriate’Prosecutor believes the suspect

intended to ram officer with car

By Stephanie Loder @Loder1

See DEADLY, Page A12

Asbury Park Press APP.COM $1.00

SATURDAY 05.31.14

VOLUME 135

NUMBER 130

SINCE 1879

ADVICE D5

CLASSIFIED D6

COMICS D4

LOCAL A3

MOVIES D3

OBITUARIES A8

OPINION A11

SPORTS C1

WEATHER C12

YOUR MONEY A5

Kristen Heckeroth credits the care she gets from her psychiatrist for allowing her once

again to work full time, obtain her degree and become engaged to the love of her life. ¶

“I honestly probably wouldn’t be alive if I didn’t find him,” said the 30-year-old, who

drives from her home in the Whiting section of Manchester to Yardley, Pennsylvania, to treat

her schizo-affective disorder. “I owe that man my life.” ¶ Heckeroth also pays for her care

out-of-pocket at $285 per visit because her doctor, like many, doesn’t accept insurance. Her

insurance will reimburse her for about $100.

She doesn’t expect much to change as federalhealth care reforms start to kick in. It’s a worrymany mental health care advocates have as the newhealth care law gives greater access to those withmental illness.

The reforms put mental health care on equal foot-ing with physical health care. That means, at least intheory, that those who need psychological care canget it. But there’s also the possibility more patientsare heading into a system that already has too fewdoctors and clinics to treat them.

TOO MANY PATIENTS, TOO FEW PROFESSIONALS

MENTAL HEALTHACCESS SCARCE

Kristen Heckeroth, 30, of Manchester says she owes her life to her psychiatrist. She pays him $285 out of pocket fora visit and gets a $100 insurance reimbursement. DAVID GARD/CORRESPONDENT

Few doctors willing to accept low Medicaid payments

By Susanne Cervenka @scervenka

See ACCESS, Page A7

“They are nowhere near accurate.

They are illusionary.”

DR. BARRY HELFMANN,about insurance companies’ “phantom networks,” lists of

mental health care providers who don’t actually accept the

insurance or accept the insurance but don’t take new patients

or, surprisingly, are dead

MIDDLETOWN — Where might one find a fireplacemantel, some fencing, a Wave Runner and a mailbox, allin one place?

At a flea market, you might think. But sadly, thoseitems were recently found illegally dumped among oth-er trash at the Leonardo State Marina.

State officials are going after those who stealthilyleave behind unwanted junk on state lands, and threeMonmouth County men have been their latest targets.

The two Middletown men and a Long Branch maneach have been charged in a state Department of Envi-ronmental Protection crackdown on illegal dumping atLeonardo State Marina.

DEP warns: Don’ttrash our public land

Trio nabbed in crackdown after

junk dumped at state marina

By Kathleen Hopkins @Khopkinsapp

See TRASH, Page A12

HEADING TO PRIDE FEST THIS WEEKEND?

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USA TODAY ERIC SHINSEKI RESIGNS AS VETERANS AFFAIRS CHIEF AMID UPROAR PAGE 1B

HAVE WE WON THE WAR ON HEROIN? COMING SUNDAY

ICED OUT Cupcake shop brings sprinkle of ‘magic’ to Red Bank

INDULGE, D1