Colts Neck Files Lawsuit Over Asbury Park Press Records Request

Colts Neck officials have filed a lawsuit in Superior Court to stop a records request made by journalists at the Asbury Park Press, the publication reports. The newspaper filed a request under the Open Publics Records Act (more commonly known as OPRA) to obtain records related to the police chief's recent suspension.

Police Chief Kevin Sauter was handed a five-day suspension without pay following a hearing in April, which he voluntarily made public, as Patch reported. He was suspended for attending a professional conference in Chicago without properly notifying the town or using vacation days, and having an on-duty police officer pick his family up from the airport when they arrived home. His attorney, Charles Sciarra, called the decision "complete and utter crap" at the time.

The records in question are the township's recommendations regarding Sauter's suspension. The suit, filed by Colts Neck attorney James L. Plosia Jr., looks to keep the records confidential. An appellate court had previously ruled that government custodians cannot seek "declaratory judgements" from the courts barring records from the public, the publication reports.

For more information, visit the Asbury Park Press.

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