5-Day Unpaid Suspension for Colts Neck Police Chief

Colts Neck, NJ - Colts Neck Police Chief Kevin Sauter, facing heat for failing to get proper clearance before he attended a Chicago law enforcement conference last year, must now serve a five-day unpaid suspension, reports the Asbury Park Press. Sauter, 52, earns $116,368 a year and he has been the Colts Neck police chief for the past 20 years.

The Colts Neck Township Committee approved the five-day suspension during a special meeting Wednesday night. Their decision comes after Robert O'Hagan, a retired state Superior Court judge, issued his recommendation that Sauter be disciplined.

"This is complete and utter crap," said Charles Sciarra, Sauter's attorney, according to the APP. "We’ll be appealing this decision and contemplating far more involved litigation against Colts Neck. It is a shame some of these council people are going to squander tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of taxpayer dollars on personal vendettas."

The law enforcement conference was in Chicago in 2015: Sauter failed to seek prior approval from the Township Committee before attending it and he did not use his vacation days during his time there, as is required, Jamie Plosia, an attorney representing Colts Neck, said back in April. Additionally, Sauter called an on-duty officer to pick him and his wife up from Newark airport when he landed and drive them back to Colts Neck, the township says.

Plosia said Township Committee members had "significant concerns" with Chief Sauter's frequent conference trips and "money being disproportionately used for trips."

"This is not our money, this is public tax dollars and in our judgment we need to exercise more control over what the chief was doing," he said.

Sauter has steadfastly maintained he did nothing wrong. His attorney said Sauter had approval from the township administrator to attend the conference and three committee members OK'd the $350 conference registration fee. Sauter paid his own hotel and airfare.