by Kulsoom Rizvi

Lauren Shinn, 19, who was arrested back in 2009 in connection with the Sept. 23 fire on the sixth floor of Freeman Hall, is currently at the pretrial negotiations phase, Lt. Kieran Barrett stated in an e-mail.

“It is basically moving at the court’s pace,” Barrett said.

Pretrial negotiation deals with evidence hearings, pretrial intervention hearing and jury selection (if applicable).

“The process is lengthy in that it can be postponed at several junctions and is at the leisure of the court to some extent,” Barrett said.

Shinn had been charged with witness tampering, which is when a witness influences other witnesses to provide false information during an investigation. Shinn was released on bail back in 2009, set at $25,000.

The arson arrest involving Steven Romano, who was arrested back in 2008 for 14 counts of arson, is in the plea bargain penalty stage, Barrett explained.

Romano has indicated he wishes to plead guilty to charges, Barrett stated.

The judicial branch will be deciding on his sentencing, which is likely to include jail time.

“The system works curiously in that this can all change in a minute, but this is where it is right now,” Barrett said.

Romano was a sophomore at Montclair State and was arrested in 2008 after being spotted leaving the scene of a bathroom fire at University Hall.