Former Edison Police Officer Sentenced For Attempted Murder, Arson

EDISON, NJ — Former Edison police officer Michael Dotro was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a string of strange, retaliatory crimes he committed over a period of five years.

Dotro, 40, who lives in Manalapan, was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for attempted murder in the first degree and 10 years for aggravated arson in the second degree. On Aug. 21, Dotro admitted to setting a May 23, 2013 fire at the home of another Edison officer, who was his supervisor.

Dotro is also subject to the No Early Release Act. As such, he will have to serve at least 17 years in State Prison before becoming eligible for parole.

Dotro admitted to one count of attempted murder in the first degree and one count of arson in the second degree for setting the fire. He also pleaded guilty to one count of official misconduct in the second degree in connection with a trial that had commenced last week. Lastly, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to tamper with a witness in the third degree in that same case.

The judge also put restraining orders in place, to prevent Dotro from contacting the victims.

Dotro was arrested at his Manalapan Township home in May of 2013. He was charged with setting the 4 a.m. fire at the Monroe Township home of Edison Police Captain Mark Anderko and his family. Although the fire was extinguished within 10-15 minutes, the two-story Colonial-style home suffered extensive damage. Anderko, his wife, two children and 92-year-old mother were home at the time of the fire, but no one was injured. Dotro reportedly used a molotov cocktail to start the fire.

In an unrelated incident, Dotro previously pleaded guilty on September 16, 2016 to a count of conspiracy, admitting he sought retaliation against a North Brunswick police officer who had ticketed another individual for drunk driving.

After his first arrest, Dotro was suspended from the Edison police force without pay. He is a nine-year veteran of the Edison Police force.

“Over the past few years, the Prosecutor’s Office, along with Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan, and members of Edison Police Department, have worked diligently to remove the cancerous officers from the ranks of the department. As a result, police officers can proudly wear the Edison Police shield as they protect and serve all members of the public; and our residents can be confident that the Edison Police Department is functioning effectively and with integrity,” Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said.

In addition, he was sentenced to 10 years for official misconduct in the second degree, 5 years for conspiracy to tamper with a witness in the third degree and 18 months for conspiracy to retaliate in the fourth degree. All sentences are to run concurrent for a maximum of 20 years. Dotro is also to serve 5 years of Parole Supervision once released from state prison.