Law Clerk Who Said Trooper's Death 'Not That Sad' Has Resigned

A law clerk for Middlesex County’s assignment judge has resigned after controversy erupted over online comments she made about the death of a New Jersey State Trooper, according to published reports.

According to News 12 New Jersey, the clerk, Leslie Anderson, wrote that the death of Trooper Anthony Raspa, who was killed Saturday after his patrol car hit a deer on I-195 in Upper Freehold, was “not that sad, and certainly not tragic. Troopers were probably driving at a dangerously high speed as per usual. Totally preventable. At least they didn’t take any of the citizens they are sworn to serve and protect out with them.”

A spokeswoman for the state judiciary told NJ.com on Wednesday that Anderson’s resignation was effective immediately.

Anderson was the law clerk of state Superior Court Judge Travis L. Francis, who is the assignment judge in Middlesex County. She was suspended with two weeks, with pay, pending the outcome of an internal investigation, The Press of Atlantic City said.

The president of the state PBA described the comments as “beyond reprehensible,’’ and said she should held accountable for them.

Patrick Colligan, the president of the state Policemen’s Benevolent Association, based in Woodbridge, sent a letter on Wednesday to Francis:

“Leslie Anderson, your law clerk and a (previously) trusted employee within our State’s Judiciary, made some choices recently that are beyond reprehensible,’’ Collegian wrote. “Quite frankly, they are statements that actually shock the moral conscious.”

According to the Atlantic City Press, she also wrote, “Nonetheless, I agree that it is sad and heart wrenching for the family members left to suffer the consequences of the Trooper’s recklessness - especially for the deer family who lost a mommy or daddy or baby deer.’’

Anderson wrote about the trooper’s death on the comments section of the News 12 New Jersey report about the death of Raspa, a Highland Park resident, the television station reported.

The Cliffview Pilot said that her comments were removed from the website “after a firestorm erupted” on Tuesday, but said some law enforcement members were sharing screen shots they had captured.

News 12 New Jersey also reported that Anderson has since deleted her Facebook page. A crew from the television station visited her home, but they were told she would not comment.

In his letter, Colligan also questioned whether she made the statements while she was at work, and he said, she was not an ordinary citizen with an absolute right to free speech.

“This is a well-educated graduate of law school that should have understood and respected the limitations of her position and the trust our citizens must have in the Judiciary,” he wrote.

The president of the State Trooper Fraternal Association, Chris Burgos, told the Press of Atlantic City that Anderson’s comments were disturbing, and he called her her suspension with pay, “a vacation.”

“I will follow this through because it’s not enough,’’ he told the newspaper on Tuesday.