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Judge Setting Dates In Cliffside Park Counselor Sex Case

CLIFFSIDE PARK, N.J. -- A judge in Hackensack yesterday said she'll begin setting court dates next month -- a year to the day since his arrest -- for a longtime Cliffside Park High School guidance counselor from Teaneck charged with sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl.

Edward Meier with defense attorney Brian Neary

Edward Meier with defense attorney Brian Neary

Photo Credit: Mary K. Miraglia

Edward C. Meier of Teaneck, 61, was accompanied by a group of friends, family members and colleagues who have supported him since authorities arrested him last Oct. 19.

Without elaborating, defense attorney Brian Neary said he'll ask Superior Court Judge Frances A. McGrogan to dismiss a May indictment that accuses his client of putting his finger into the girl's vagina and his penis into her mouth.

Neary also said he would also seek an order compelling the state Division of Child Placement and Permanency to allow him to access records.

Meier -- an accomplished high school, college and professional basketball referee -- became the target of an investigation after “a relative of the victim recently observed what they felt was inappropriate behavior” and told the girl’s mother, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said last year.

He posted $250,000 bail last Nov. 3 and was released after spending a week in the Bergen County Jail. A judge ordered that he have no contact with the victim and also prohibited him from possessing any firearms.

Meier began working at CPHS in 1982, first as a history teacher. He received the Guidance Counselor of the Year Award from the Bergen County School Counselors Association in 2011. He has also been chairperson for the Bergen County Caring Awards, which honors students dedicated to community service.

Meier has also worked as a professional magician and officiated on the high school, college, international and pro level since 1972.

He refereed training camp games for the New York Knicks for 20 years, beginning in 1980, as well as for the New Jersey Nets from 1980-2009.

A 20-year veteran of the popular Jersey Summer Pro League, Meier was an official during the 1994 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship and for four years at the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship and was honored as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Official of the Year in 1997.

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