Sheriff's
officer fires gun in argument with woman, report says
Sergio Bichao
WOODBRIDGE – A Union County
sheriff's officer has been suspended after being accused of shooting his weapon
during an argument with a woman and, in another incident, threatening her at
gunpoint.
Scott Gardiner, 43, was charged
Jan. 16 with making terroristic threats by a township woman who told local
police that Gardiner has been "continually harassing her" since
December.
The woman told police that
Gardiner threatened her with his work-issued weapon several times in 2013, when
they lived together.
She claimed that in July 2013
Gardiner shot his gun into a bed during an argument and told her: "Next
time it's gonna be you, b.... "
Also that year, she said,
Gardiner made her drive him to visit his mother, telling the woman "keep
driving, b.... " as he pointed his gun toward the windshield.
She said he also "cursed
at her on numerous occasions," calling her vulgar slurs against women.
Gardiner, a Manalapan resident,
has been a law-enforcement officer since May 1994, according to state pension
records. In 2013, he earned more than $95,000 a year and held the rank of
sergeant.
Because the complaint involves
alleged domestic violence, authorities are required to take certain steps,
including notifying a county prosecutor and confiscating the officer's personal
and work weapons.
The woman told police that she
was reporting the incidents for the first time because she had not "wanted
to get him into trouble," according to a Woodbridge police report obtained
by MyCentralJersey.com under the Open Public Records Act.
Gardiner was not arrested,
according to the report, which also noted where he worked and that the incident
would be investigated by internal affairs.
Union County Sheriff Joseph
Cryan on Monday declined to discuss details of the case.
"I can confirm that he has
been suspended from our office pending the conclusion of the ongoing
investigation," he said.
Cryan said Gardiner's weapons
were confiscated "as a matter of policy" but declined to elaborate or
say whether Gardiner would continue to receive pay.
Gardiner on Monday said the
case was "going through the court system" and that the restraining
order that a municipal court judge had signed against him last month had been
dropped. He declined further comment.
A spokesman for the Middlesex
County Sheriff's Office did not return a request for comment.
Investigations into
law-enforcement officers involved in domestic violence complaints are governed
by state attorney general guidelines that went into effect in 2009.
The guidelines were issued in
order to make victims less intimidated about complaining about police officers.
The guidelines require agencies
to disqualify job applicants with histories of domestic violence or sexual
assault and to train officers annually on handling domestic violence calls and
on the impact of domestic violence within the law-enforcement community.
Supervisors are supposed to
look for "warning signs" of possible domestic violence problems among
officers, including an increase in excessive force complaints, inappropriate
treatment of animals, injuries and excessive tardiness and absences.
The guidelines caution against
making any arrests until an investigation has been conducted.
The internal affairs unit of
the agency where the officer works is supposed to investigate the incident,
even if a temporary restraining order is dismissed.
Law-enforcement agencies since
2011 have been required to keep track of internal affairs probes involving
domestic violence. Records for the Union County Sheriff's Office indicate that
there were no reported domestic violence investigations in 2011 or 2012. Data
for 2013 and 2014 is not yet available.
Staff Writer Sergio Bichao:
908-243-6615; sbichao@mycentraljersey.com
Lexington
police officer charged with harassment
A Lexington police officer has
been charged with harassment and official misconduct after an investigation.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) - A
Lexington police officer has been charged with harassment and official
misconduct after an investigation into a Jan. 13 arrest.
The investigation revealed that
Officer James Norris had "forceful physical contact" with a suspect,
and had "intent to harass and intimidate".
Norris has been relieved of
duty since January 22.
WTVQ-TV, LLC
