Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that a member of the Lumberton Township Committee who was charged earlier this year with drunk driving and related offenses has been indicted on charges of failing to protect her young child who was in the car with her at the time of the incident.
Gina LaPlaca, 46, who presently serves as the Lumberton Township mayor, was charged by a grand jury with Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Second Degree) and Child Abuse (Fourth Degree). She is scheduled to be arraigned on December 8 in Superior Court in Mount Holly.
The indictment was returned November 20 and signed by Prosecutor Bradshaw.
The charges stem from a March 2025 investigation that began after another motorist contacted police to report that LaPlaca’s vehicle was swerving across the centerline, nearly striking oncoming vehicles.
LaPlaca was taken into custody by Lumberton police officers who went to her residence after viewing video footage recorded by the motorist.
The case was investigated by the Lumberton Township Police Department.
An indictment is an accusation. Defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.