CASE SUMMARY: Libertarians for Transparent Government (LFTG) v. Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office

Case Name: Libertarians for Transparent Government (LFTG) v. Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office
Docket Number: BUR-L-1567-16
County / Vicinage: Burlington (originally filed in Mercer Co., but transferred to Burlington Co.)
Filing Date: July 21, 2016
Judge: Bookbinder, Ronald
Status: Open (as of 11/28/2016)

 

Overview:

This case stems from a June 7, 2016 Trentonian article entitled “Mercer County sheriff supervisor suspended following criminal probe that found no wrongdoing.” The article reported that Lieutenant Scott Schoellkopf was suspended for an unreported amount of time “over undisclosed allegations of criminal misconduct.” According to the article, MCPO officials investigated and “determined that criminal prosecution was not warranted.”

In its Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, LFTG asked for “information as to the type of crime, time, location and type of weapon, if any.” According to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-3(b), which is part of OPRA, the public is entitled to this information when a crime has been reported but no arrest made. LFTG is being represented by CJ Griffin of Hackensack. The case was originally filed in Mercer County but was transferred to Burlington County.

 

Case Documents:

Verified Complaint, Certification and Brief and Opposition Brief.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B66zM58TlOVKanZQaTJ0Z3Q2VkU/view?usp=sharing

 

Articles / Posts:

http://www.trentonian.com/general-news/20161128/advocate-sues-mercer-county-prosecutors-for-protecting-sheriff