TRENTON – Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that criminal charges were filed May 20 against a suspended detective in the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office (CMCPO) for allegedly conducting an unauthorized investigation into a minor motor vehicle crash involving a relative.
According to a release, the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability charged Detective Sgt. Robert P. Harkins Jr., 48, of Wildwood Crest, by complaint-summons with conspiracy to tamper with public records or information (third degree) and tampering with public records or information (third degree).
It is alleged that in December 2019 and January 2020, Harkins personally initiated and conducted an unauthorized investigation into a minor motor vehicle accident involving a relative in the parking lot of a store in Middle Township, specifically to identify the driver of the other vehicle, who left the scene without exchanging information. Harkins allegedly failed to record his official actions in CMCPO’s records management system, as required, and instead documented them with an outdated “general investigation report” to avoid review by his superiors.
It is further alleged that Harkins – without approval, permission or lawful authority – issued a subpoena to the store where the crash occurred, used his CMCPO affiliation to send official requests for information to state agencies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and ultimately provided his investigative findings, including a 10-page report and a file of various documents, to another law enforcement agency, the Middle Township Police Department.
The Middle Township Police Department, which was actually responsible for the official investigation of the accident, advised CMCPO of the situation. Following an internal review by its Professional Standards Unit, CMCPO referred the matter to the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).
Deputy Attorney General Brian Uzdavinis is assigned to prosecute the case for the OPIA Corruption Bureau.
Grewal commended the detectives of the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Bureau who investigated for the OPIA Corruption Bureau. He also thanked CMCPO and Middle Township Police Department for their invaluable assistance.
Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
Grewal created the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) in September 2018 to combat corruption and strengthen public confidence in government institutions. In December 2019, the attorney general issued a directive codifying OPIA and making it a permanent part of the Attorney General’s Office. That directive established the OPIA Corruption Bureau, as the lead office within the Department of Law and Public Safety for the investigation and prosecution of state criminal violations involving corruption and abuse of public trust.
OPIA has a toll-free Tipline 1-844-OPIA-TIPS for the public to report corruption. The Attorney General’s Office has an Anti-corruption Reward Program that offers a reward of up to $25,000 for tips leading to a conviction for a crime involving public corruption. Information is posted at: http://nj.gov/oag/corruption/reward.html.
The following is based on information received from a law enforcement agency. The person(s) named is innocent unless proven otherwise in court.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
