Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Howell Officials Dismissed: Report

HOWELL, NJ — A civil rights lawsuit filed against Howell Police Chief Andrew J. Kudrick Jr. and two other officials has been dismissed by a federal judge, according to a report.

The lawsuit was filed by Steven and Collene Wronko of Spotswood and Jennifer Coombs of Neptune City last February against Kudrick, Howell Capt. John Storrow and former Township Manager Jeff Mayfield.

The Asbury Park Press report said the federal judge dismissed the lawsuit because there were no facts presented showing the Wronkos and Coombs were deprived of any federal rights.

The lawsuit, a copy of which was emailed to Patch, claimed Kudrick, Storrow and Mayfield (who retired in September) violated the privacy rights of the Wronkos and Coombs when their photos were obtained from state motor vehicle records and used to make posters warning Howell Township employees that the three might try to videotape township employees.

The Wronkos and Coombs claimed, in the lawsuit, that the action of posting their photos was in retaliation after Wronko filed an anonymous Open Public Records Act request in 2016. According to the lawsuit, Wronko was seeking records on whether Howell Township school bus drivers had been ticketed for traffic offenses while driving school buses.

According to documentation provided by Wronko's attorney, similar OPRA requests were filed with other Monmouth County towns. Monmouth County police chiefs conferred, and none of them had specific records on school bus drivers being ticketed for traffic offenses, according to that documentation.

The lawsuit also took issue with an internal memo distributed to the police department on how to respond to the public when they videotape police officers, and how to respond if a motorist refuses to provide driver's license, motor vehicle registration and proof of insurance. The memo, a copy of which was provided by the law office that represented Wronko in the civil rights lawsuit, said the public has a right to videotape in public places as long as they are not interfering with an investigation. It also tells officers that a driver can be arrested for refusing to provide license, registration and proof of insurance. Drivers are required by state law to turn over those documents during a motor vehicle stop.

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