Middletown Police Sgt. Charged With DWI, Leaving Accident Scene

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A Middletown police sergeant is charged with DWI and other felony charges after New York State Police say he was involved in a drunk driving accident in New York state, where he hit a motorcyclist and broke his leg, and then drove away.

According to New York State Police, Carl F. Roth, 49, of Middletown was arrested for crash that occurred July 13. Lt. Paul Bailey, a Middletown police spokesman, confirmed to Patch that Roth has been suspended without pay in light of the charges.

The incident happened July 13 in Ashland, New York, a region just south of Albany: While driving his Mercedes, Roth collided with a man on a motorcycle, said Trooper Steven Nevel, a spokesman for New York State Police.

The motorcyclist was found by State Police lying in a ditch by the side of the road with a broken leg. Left behind was the front license plate of the car that hit him, Nevel said.

Roth was found by state troopers a few miles down the same road. The Mercedes he was sitting in had suffered significant damage to its front and had broken down. The back license plate of his Mercedes matched the license plate at the scene, said Nevel. Roth was also visibly intoxicated at the time and he refused a breathalyzer test, Nevel said.

He was charged with DWI and leaving the scene of an accident where a person was injured, as well as vehicular assault, both felony charges.

The Asbury Park Press was the first to report about Roth's arrest. The department is "aware of the very serious nature of the charges" against Roth and they "are giving it the proper consideration," Bailey told the newspaper.

Roth makes $130,375 a year as a Middletown police sergeant and has worked for the police department since 1999, according to the Asbury Park Press.