Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison For Involuntary Manslaughter Principal's Death
Accident occurred in May 2008 on Fort Monmouth property
A Tinton Falls man was sentenced to 41 months in prison for the involuntary manslaughter death of Donald Merce, a principal from Markham Place School in Little Silver. Dennis Smenktowski, 47, pleaded guilty in 2011 to one count of involuntary manslaughter for driving his car while impaired by the sleep medication Ambien, causing the death of Merce, 58, in a head-on collision, on May 6, 2008, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said. Smentkowski is a retired Long Branch police officer. According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Smentkowski was driving his Ford Explorer southbound on Oceanport Avenue near the east gate of Fort Monmouth at 7 a.m., when he drove across a double yellow line into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with…
