Former Township police chief accused of stealing guns

Mark Emann, a 32-year veteran of the department, pleaded not guilty to third-degree theft by deception in Mercer County Superior Court on Wednesday morning. He was accused of trading the M-16 for a rifle and revolver, which were valued at $2,400, for his personal use.

Emann had resigned from the department before the trial.

The two other officers implicated in the illegal transaction, Lt. Michael Henderson and Cpl. Arthur Villaruz, faced administrative charges and resigned in place of further discipline or criminal prosecution, according to assistant prosecutor Angelo Onofri.

Onofri also declined to specify what role Henderson and Villaruz had in the alleged theft, saying only that Henderson and Villaruz “took part in the transaction.”

As part of a pretrial intervention program, Emann was banned from future government employment and must maintain a clean criminal record. He is also required to return one of the weapons and pay restitution for the other, which is not of use to the department.

The prosecutor’s office seized control of the department and removed the three officers from duty on Oct. 1, accusing them of selling Township property. At the time, the prosecutor’s office declined to comment on what exactly the officers sold.

Chief William Straniero of the prosecutor’s office has overseen the department since October, but control of the department is expected to be returned back to the Township today.

The announcement ends nearly four months of speculation that has cast uncertainty over the department, which has jurisdiction over parts of the University’s campus.

The department takeover occurred shortly after Emann, 52, approached prosecutors and admitted that he had sold the Township property, Onofri said.

The prosecutor’s office said the gun transaction occurred on June 1, 2007, when Emann traded the M-16 for weapons and “other equipment” for use by the police department but kept a rifle and revolver from the trade for himself.

Onofri declined to specify what “other equipment” includes. The alleged transaction occurred four months after Emann was named chief.

The prosecutor’s office inventoried the department’s armory upon the October takeover and found that the alleged theft “was an isolated incident,” prosecutor Joseph Bocchini said in a statement.

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It is unclear why Emann admitted to trading the M-16 three years after the incident. Emann and his attorney, Robert Ramsey, did not respond to requests for comment, and Onofri declined to comment on Emann’s motivation.

Onofri declined to comment on a specific timeline, only saying that Emann contacted the prosecutor’s office “around the same time” as the takeover.

An e-mail sent by Emann nine days before his removal indicated that he was aware of impending trouble. He wrote to a senior pastor at the Westerly Road Church in Princeton that “it’s a bit of a mess. I may call you within a few days once I sort a few things out personally,” according to the e-mail, which was obtained under the Open Public Records Act.

Bocchini called the agreement a fair conclusion.

“Throughout my tenure as Mercer County prosecutor, government corruption cases have been zealously prosecuted in an effort to serve the best interests of justice,” Bocchini said. “In my judgment, justice in this case will be achieved by foregoing the criminal prosecution of a nonviolent offender with a 32-year history of service to his community in favor of diversion into the PTI program.”

Emann received a salary of $156,832, according to payroll records obtained in October. Henderson, who was a 25-year veteran of the department, received $135,200. Villaruz, a 26-year veteran, earned $100,976.

The future leadership of the department is unclear. But Straniero, who oversaw the department, praised Capt. Robert Buchanan, who is the highest-ranking Township officer left after the removals.

“While working alongside him for the last three months, I found him to be honest, very knowledgeable, even-tempered and fair,” Straniero said.

“During his 31 years with the department, Capt. Buchanan has risen through the ranks and worked in virtually every position,” Straniero added. “He is intimately familiar with all aspects of the department and completely understands the needs of the officers and the community they serve.”