Trooper Who Beat Hackettstown Man Asks Judge to Handle Case

New Jersey State Trooper Staff Sgt. Richard Wambold Jr., who beat a Hackettstown resident in May 2009 while on duty, has asked a federal judge to handle his administrative case because his own employer, along with the Attorney General's office, is being unfair, according to a report on nj.com.

In a recent court filing, Wambold claims the administrative charges against him should be dropped because it took state investigators too long to file them, and that the Attorney General's office committed malpractice by dropping him as a defendant, the report said.

Wambold is shown punching James Bayliss, then 21-years-old, in the face repeatedly after frisking him against a car in a dashboard camera video obtained by the Star Ledger earlier this year.

Wambold is currently on administrative leave from his position. 

Bayliss, who suffered major head injuries in a 2005 car crash, has mental disabilities his father says make him seem intoxicated. Wambold has said in previous reports that Bayliss was unresponsive to his orders and posed a physical threat.

Judge Lois Goodman is scheduled to rule on the latest filing Jan. 7, the report said.