RARITAN -- The chief of the borough police department pleaded guilty this morning to tampering with public records and will forfeit his job. Laurence Hess III, 41, who was once the favored pick for the department’s top spot appeared before Superior Court Judge Paul Armstrong in Somerville, where he admitted that he submitted a report with false information. The report...
RARITAN -- The chief of the borough police department pleaded guilty this morning to tampering with public records and will forfeit his job.
Laurence Hess III, 41, who was once the favored pick for the department’s top spot appeared before Superior Court Judge Paul Armstrong in Somerville, where he admitted that he submitted a report with false information.
The report said that Hess and another officer had met the twice-annual requirement for firearms qualification. Instead, he and the other officer had only qualified once in 2009, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
As part of the deal struck between Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Chirichella and defense lawyer Jeffrey Garrigan, Hess had to give up his position.
Acting Somerset County Prosecutor A. Peter DeMarco Jr. said he plans to meet with the borough’s mayor and a council member Thursday to determine what happens next. For now, his office is still running the day-to day operations.
The criminal investigation began in March, DeMarco said, along with an audit. While the criminal investigation is complete, the review of the department is still underway, the prosecutor said.
Previous coverage:
• Raritan Borough police control is transferred to Somerset County Prosecutor