The holiday season rang in Hackettstown without a hitch, and residents got a few doses of winter weather along the way in December. While we’ve ushered out the old and brought in the new year, the final month of 2012 was still one to remember.

Here’s a look at some of the bigger stories of the month. Click on the headline to read the full article.

State Trooper Beating Changed Disabled Son’s Life, Dad Says

Hackettstown resident James Bayliss and his family are still searching for answers. Those answers stem from a beating the then-21-year-old suffered at the hands of a New Jersey State Trooper in 2009. Four years before the incident, Bayliss was in a car crash that left him mentally disabled.

Fraud Scam Gets Accountant 54 Months in Prison

A Hackettstown accountant was sentenced to four and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to his role in conspiring to commit wire and mail fraud while working for Provident Capital Indemnity, Ltd. Jorge Luis Castillo, 57, was also ordered to pay more than $43 million in forfeiture as a member of the six-year-long scheme.

Holiday Light Show ‘Getting Bigger Each Year’

Kevin and Laura Reed want everyone to see their holiday decorations. Even those who may live in outer space. The Hackettstown couple have arguably the best and brightest holiday decorations in town for anyone and everyone to see. Check out the video we have of the tremendous light show.

Teens Brighten Holidays By Restoring the Shore

The Hackettstown High School senior class, along with the Tigers boys’ basketball team joined forces to obtain donations that would be brought down to the New Jersey Shore to aid those in need at Central Regional School in Bayville. The weeks-long effort resulted in the need for an 18-wheeler to be used to transport the goods. Later in the month, a group of students and faculty members brought the items down to those in need. Check out that end result here.

3 Injured in Mountain Avenue Crash, Cops Say

A scary crash in front of the LukOil gas station on Route 182/Mountain Avenue this month sent three people to the hospital with back, abdomen, and facial injuries, according to police. The two-car collision closed the roadway for a short period of time.