By MaryAnn Spoto | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
On July 10, Bart McInerney, once an esteemed baseball coach at St. Rose High School in Belmar, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child for sexting with many of his players. The case, pending since 2007, took a number of twists and turns over the years as McInerney was initially convicted by a jury, had his conviction overturned, was released from prison and was sued in connection with the death of one of his alleged victims.
Now sentenced for those crimes, McInerney, 51, is not going to serve any more time in prison beyond the two years he spent behind bars and he will not have to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law. Monmouth County prosecutors said they reached this deal with the approval of the victims, who want to move on with their lives.
1994
Bart McInerney was hired as head of the baseball program for St. Rose High School in 1994. In 1995, he was named All-Monmouth Baseball Coach. The son of a teacher/track coach and a mother who was involved in the local recreation program, McInerney was president of the Spring Lake Heights Little League. He founded the Shore Challenge, an annual baseball tournament that attracted top-notch teams from across the state and he ran a summer baseball league, among his other activities.
November 2007
In November 2007, McInerney iwas charged with two counts of child endangerment related to former player she coached. St. Rose fired him and the case against him began to grow as more student players came forward.
June 2008
Andrew Clark, right, and his mother, Jackie Clark Dahrouge. Andrew Clark, 18, was among the first to speak out against McInerney's alleged misconduct. Distraught by the alleged abuse and teasing and harassment from his peers,, Andrew was hit by a train and killed on Jan. 20, 2008. The medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.
August 2008
In Aug. 2008, the family of Andrew Clark Jr. sues St. Rose, the Diocese of Trenton and McInerney over his death.
October 2008
In October 2008, McInerney is indicted on 12 counts of child endangerment involving 11 former players and a former worker at his silk screen business. Prosecutors alleged he pressured the payers to masturbate and then to describe their acts to him through text messages.
Jan. 6, 2010
McInerney's trial begins in early 2010. In the three weeks of testimony, his victims testified that he encouraged them to masturbate and pressured them to share with him details about their acts, offering money to those who disclosed their experiences. Denying he derived any sexual gratification from his actions, McInerney contended he was trying to get the teens to abstain from pre-marital sex.
Noah K. Murray/The Star Ledger
Jan. 22, 2010
Jan. 22, 2010, McInerney was convicted of 10 counts of child endangerment. Originally charged with 12 counts of child endangerment, he was acquitted of one of the charges and another had been dismissed during the three-week trial.
Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
May 26, 2010
McInerney failed to show up for his May 2010 sentencing. His attorney at the time, Charles Uliano, said McInerney went to the hospital for health reasons. By the afternoon, McInerney was in the custody of Monmouth County sheriffs officers and headed to the hospital. Judge Anthony Mellaci Jr. postponed the sentencing.
John O'Boyle/The Star-Ledger
June 1, 2010
McInerney, after apologizing for his behavior with the teens, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in June 2010. He would be eligible for parole in 2014. Because he didn't show up for his sentencing a month earlier, he was being held in the Monmouth County Jail.
Oct. 10, 2012
In state prison for more than two years, McInerney has his conviction overturned by an appellate panel that says the trial judge improperly instructed jurors on the charges for deliberations. The panel said McInerney was convicted of a higher degree crime that would reflect the responsibility a parent or a legal guardian -- not a coach -- has over a child. He was granted a new trial.
Oct. 11, 2012
Less than 30 hours after a state appellate panel overturned his conviction, McInerney was released from South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton after serving slightly more than two years behind bars. The same day, he appeared in Superior Court in Monmouth County where he was released on his own recognizance to await the next step in his case.
Noah K. Murray/The Star-Ledger
May 2014
The Estate of Andrew Clark Jr. settles its lawsuit against McInerney and others for $900,000 over the 2008 death of Andrew Clark Jr., one of McInerney's players and an alleged victim, who death by train was ruled a suicide. McInerney was responsible for $275,000 of the settlement, while St. Rose High School, the Diocese of Trenton and another defendant were the other parties in the settlement.
June 14, 2017
A three-judge appellate panel rules McInerney, who was still facing prosecution, would have to testify at his retrial if he wanted jurors to hear his claim that he did not get sexual gratification from the test messages. He had sought to avoid testifying by asking a trial judge to declare him an "unavailable" witness, but the appellate panel rejected that request.
July 10, 2017
With his new trial set to start in two months and after an appellate panel said he could not avoid testifying, McInerney pleads guilty to 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a trial before Superior Court Judge Pedro Jimenez in Middlesex County. The case was moved to that venue because of a conflict with one of the victims. McInerney's sentencing was set for Aug. 25.
Bob Sciarinno | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Aug. 25, 2017
On Friday, McInerney was sentenced to time served. The 13-minute court proceeding ended a long and torturous chapter in the lives of his victims and their families. There were no victim-impact statements, no arguments from his defense attorney or prosecutors about what sentence should be imposed and there were no victims or their representatives present in the courtroom to witness the final chapter in the decade-old case. Now sentenced for those crimes, McInerney, 51, is not going to serve any more time in prison beyond the two years he spent behind bars and he will not have to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law. Monmouth County prosecutors said they reached this deal with the approval of the victims, who want to move on with their lives.
Read more
• Ex-Belmar coach convicted of sexual misconduct fails to show at sentencing
• Former baseball coach of St. Rose High School in Belmar is convicted of sexual misconduct
• Spring Lake Heights mother supports witnesses at trial of Belmar coach accused of sexual misconduct
• Attorneys in trial of Belmar coach accused of sexual misconduct argue over cell phone discovery
• Ex-Belmar baseball coach is implicated by three more witnesses in sexual misconduct trial
• Four former Belmar high school students testify coach offered money for sex talk
• Ex-Belmar high school baseball coach faces one of accusers in sexual misconduct trial
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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