Prosecutor: Shaneen Allen can enter diversion program

MAYS LANDING, N.J. (AP) -- A Philadelphia woman who was facing prison time after she brought her legally owned a gun into New Jersey will now be allowed to enter a pretrial intervention program.

The Press of Atlantic City reports Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced his decision Wednesday.

McClain initially denied Shaneen Allen's bid to enter the diversion program, saying state law didn't allow for the exception. But he dropped his opposition after the state Attorney General's Office released a clarification Wednesday regarding a 2008 directive that expanded the law's reach.

McClain will now review similar cases in which defendants were denied entry into the program.

The 27-year-old Allen was arrested in Hamilton Township last year after telling a state trooper she had a gun and a concealed carry permit issued in Pennsylvania.

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