There is still no sign of missing Rutgers student Morty Wortman.
A hearing is scheduled for Monday for Adam Zalouk, the man who pleaded guilty in March to threatening Wortman last summer during an argument in Point Pleasant.
Zalouk pleaded guilty in March to threatening Wortman with a knife in an incident that happened several months before the Rutgers student disappeared. The hearing set for Monday afternoon will determine how much financial compensation Wortman and his family should receive for that incident.
Zalouk avoided jail time by agreeing to a plea deal from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Zalouk was the last person to see Wortman before he was reported missing on Nov. 21 of last year. However, the charges in this case are unrelated to Wortman’s disappearance, and police have not found Zalouk to be involved in it.
In the July incident, Wortman called police and said Zalouk threatened him with a knife and slashed his car because Wortman turned down his sexual advances. The two had been romantically involved.
During the last hearing in the case, Judge Guy Ryan acknowledged the disappointment Wortman’s family felt with the plea agreement, saying Wortman’s testimony would be needed to pursue further prosecution. As of now, that is impossible. Wortman’s relatives had wanted jail time included in the deal.
Wortman has been missing for five months. His relatives believe Zalouk knows much more than he has said about the disappearance. A $10,000 reward is still being offered for information that helps find Wortman.