Wall, New Jersey - Officer's arrest in DWI case detailed
Dr. Kardasz: It is a brave officer who can arrest the person who is scheduled to become his police chief.
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Wall, New Jersey - Officer's arrest in DWI case detailed
Choice for chief angry at arrest
Asbury Park Press, 02/1/07, By Alex Biese, Coastal Monmouth Bureau
Wall, New Jersey — Bernard Sullivan, the township police captain who was to take over the position of chief today, expressed outrage and disbelief after being pulled over and arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated early Saturday morning, according to a police report obtained Wednesday. Sullivan, 41, of Belmar Boulevard, was stopped while traveling west on that road at 12:03 a.m. Saturday by Wall Patrolman Todd Verrecchia, officials said.
During an emergency meeting Tuesday, the Township Committee voted to rescind a resolution naming Sullivan to replace retiring Chief Roy Hall.
The copy of the arrest report obtained by the Asbury Park Press on Wednesday had one page blanked out and did not contain the results of Sullivan's Breath-alyzer test. Police Capt. David Morris, who would not comment on the redacted page, and Mayor John Tobia referred all questions to Township Administrator Joseph Verruni, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.
The Press also sought copies and transcripts of police radio transmissions made during the arrest under the Open Public Records Act. Wall police said neither were available because the machine recording all police transmissions was in a room under construction that has been inaccessible for months. Reached at his home Wednesday, Sullivan, who joined the force in 1984, declined to comment, referring all questions to his attorney, James Fagen. Fagen, whose firm is in Freehold, could not be reached for comment.
In the police report, Verrecchia, who was traveling north on Route 35, wrote that he saw a car run a red light at the intersection of 16th Avenue and Route 35 and proceed across four lanes of Route 35 onto Belmar Boulevard, nearly causing a collision with another vehicle on Route 35. The motorist was driving on the wrong side of Belmar Boulevard, according to the report, and the patrolman pulled him over near Marconi Road.
Arrested close to home
"As I arrived at the driver's window, I immediately recognized the operator as Bernard Sullivan," Verrecchia wrote, adding that Sullivan "appeared to be angered" and was slurring his words. Verrecchia also "observed a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from (Sullivan's) breath." When Verrecchia asked Sullivan to turn the car off, Sullivan replied, "Are you ——— kidding me?" When Verrecchia asked a second time, Sullivan said, "I live 200 yards up the road, you can follow me," according to the report. Sullivan got out of the car, but continued to ask Verrecchia to follow him home. Verrecchia wrote that he called for backup from a supervisor.
Several minutes later, Sgt. Frank Lancellotti arrived. As Verrecchia began to explain the first of several field sobriety tests to Sullivan, the captain asked Lancellotti, "Frank, what are we doing here?" according to the report. The tests administered by Verrecchia included having Sullivan follow the officer's finger with his eyes, stand on one leg, and walk and turn. In the report, Verrecchia described Sullivan as having difficulty with all three tests and saying, "I can't do this ——— test" after losing his balance during the walk and turn.
Sullivan was then placed under arrest on a charge of driving while intoxicated, his hands were handcuffed behind his back and he was placed in the back seat of Verrecchia's patrol car. Sullivan also was charged with reckless driving, disregard of marked lanes and failure to observe traffic. "You're ——— kidding me, right?" Sullivan said. "You want me to sit in the back of your patrol vehicle and you put handcuffs on me?"
While en route to Wall police headquarters on Allaire Road, Verrecchia noted that Sullivan made several statements that he found to be "disturbing," such as "you don't know what you're doing," a remark Verrecchia said he interpreted as a threat to his employment. At the police station, Sullivan was handcuffed to a bench in the processing room. According to the report, after being given a Breathalyzer test, Sullivan was advised of the results and said, "Oh, you're enjoying this. . . . You've got it all planned out."
Sullivan was later released. Earlier, he had called a friend to get a ride home, the report said.
Character witness
Wall resident Lynn Schindel said she has known Sullivan since he was 16. She described him as "an honest man with a lot of personal integrity." While she said she was not familiar with the details of Sullivan's arrest, she did speak of his character. "All I know is the type of person he is, and I think he's absolutely terrific," said Schindel, 63.
Sullivan will remain on administrative leave — suspension with pay — until the matter is resolved, Tobia said. Capt. Morris was to take temporary charge of the department today. "I have the utmost faith in him (Morris) assuming the responsibility (of day-to-day police operations)," said Tobia, who added Morris also joined the department in 1984 and is a graduate of the FBI Academy.
Frank Addonizio, a former mayor and township committeeman, said he was aware both Sullivan and Morris sought the position of chief, a selection ultimate-ly made by the governing body. "It's no question that the selection (of chief) was made politically," Addonizio said. "I think Captain Morris is outstanding, and I would like to say that (Captain) Sullivan had a good record in the Police Department for many years. But it also shows that the Wall Police Department is very professional," because the officer who stopped Sullivan did it in a professional way, he said. "The officer that pulled him over certainly showed a great deal of guts," he said.
Verruni has said police have reviewed the arrest, and their Quality Assurance Unit is making sure that everything was done properly. Morris will remain in charge of the department until the Township Committee meets to discuss what steps will be taken to fill the chief's position, Verruni said. The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the municipal complex, 2700 Allaire Road.
This is not the first time that a drunken-driving arrest has troubled the department. In 1993, four Wall police officers were disciplined for their roles in a department cover-up in a case that led to the early retirement of then-Chief Robert B. Clawson. The disciplinary actions stemmed from a failed attempt to hide the drunken-driving arrest of Barry Jost of Neptune, a drinking companion of Clawson and the nephew of then-mayor Wesley W. Jost. The chief persuaded the arresting officer, Bernard Lynch, to destroy all records of the arrest, then reconsidered four days later and directed that Barry Jost be charged. Lynch informed the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office of the cover-up after Clawson suggested Lynch perjure himself in court.
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