By Ben Horowitz
NEWTON — A Newton police
officer was arrested Monday on accusations that he unzipped his pants and
exposed himself to young male drivers during "numerous" traffic
stops.
Jason R. Miller, 37, of Hampton
Township, a patrolman since 2001, turned himself in at the Sussex County
Prosecutor's Office and has been indefinitely suspended without pay pending the
outcome of the criminal case, according to a statement issued by Sussex County
Prosecutor Francis Koch and Newton Police Chief Michael Richards.
Miller was charged with two
counts of official misconduct, one count of a pattern of official misconduct
and one count of lewdness, the statement said.
Miller would expose his
genitals to motorists "to satisfy his prurient interests" and then
let them leave without issuing traffic summonses, according to a police
complaint.
The incidents occurred between
March 18 and Oct. 23 of this year, the complaint says.
Superior Court Judge Thomas
Critchley set bail at $35,000 with a 10 percent option and the condition that
Miller surrender all firearms, the prosecutor's statement said. Miller posted
the bail, the statement added.
The statement said Newton
police received an anonymous tip on Oct. 23 reporting an allegation of
misconduct by Miller and then another anonymous message on Oct. 24.
Based on the information,
"an immediate investigation ensued" and following a review of patrol
car video recordings and interviews, Miller was suspended on Oct. 28, the
statement said.
An affidavit signed by Capt.
Donald Peter of the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office detailed what appeared to
be a pattern of behavior by Miller during several traffic stops.
The investigation took officers
back to March 18, when Miller stopped a 26-year-old male who was driving 16
miles per hour over the speed limit and acknowledged on an audio recording that
he had consumed alcohol, Peter said in his affidavit.
While Officer Miller was in his
patrol car and after his initial interaction with the man he stopped, "you
can hear what appears to be the sound of a zipper opening and/or closing,"
Peter said.
"Officer Miller did not
issue any motor vehicle summonses, nor investigate (the man) for driving while
intoxicated, despite the driver's admission to consuming alcohol and coming
directly from a bar," Peter said.
On Oct. 23, Miller stopped a
22-year-old male who was leaving O'Reilly's Pub sometime after midnight and the
young man noticed the officer's zipper was down and his genitals were exposed,
Peter said in his affidavit. The young man said Miller asked him several times
where he was going and where he lived, and that made him
"uncomfortable."
During a review of the video
recording of the interview, "it appears that Officer Miller's zipper is
open" and his genitals were visible, Peter said. The young man drove home
and was not issued a ticket, Peter said.
Miller's attorney, Anthony
Iacullo, said his client is innocent.
"Officer Miller is an
excellent officer who vehemently denies these allegations, as they are false
and baseless," Iacullo said in a statement. "We are confident that
when this matter is heard in a court of law, Mr. Miller will be exonerated of
all the charges."
Anyone with further information
is asked to contact the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office at 973-383-1570.
