NJAG: Detective With Cape May County Prosecutor's Office Charged

Attorney General Gurbir Grewal says criminal charges have been filed against a detective with the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office after he allegedly conducted an unauthorized investigation into a minor car accident that involved a relative.

48-year-old Sgt. Robert P. Harkins, Jr., of Wildwood Crest, has been charged with third-degree conspiracy to tamper with public records or information and third-degree tampering with public records or information.

Grewal says in December, 2019, and January, 2020, "Harkins personally initiated and conducted an unauthorized investigation into a minor motor vehicle accident involving a relative in the parking lot of a store in Middle Township, specifically to identify the driver of the other vehicle, who left the scene without exchanging information. Harkins allegedly failed to record his official actions in CMCPO’s records management system, as required, and instead documented them with an outdated “general investigation report” to avoid review by his superiors."

Authorities also allege that Harkins, "without approval, permission or lawful authority," issued a subpoena to the store where the crash happened, he used his position with the prosecutor's office to send official requests for information to state agencies in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and then gave a 10-page report and documents to the Middle Township Police Department, according to a press release.

Get our free mobile app

Once they received the report, the Middle Township Police Department alerted the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office, which then referred the matter to the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), which then sent it to detectives with the New Jersey State Police's corruption bureau.

Grewal says third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

Charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

LOOK: What are the odds that these 50 totally random events will happen to you?

Stacker took the guesswork out of 50 random events to determine just how likely they are to actually happen. They sourced their information from government statistics, scientific articles, and other primary documents. Keep reading to find out why expectant parents shouldn't count on due dates -- and why you should be more worried about dying on your birthday than living to 100 years old.

Gallery Credit: Isabel Sepulveda

COVID relief for NJ municipalities: How much is your town getting?

The American Rescue Plan signed by President Joseph Biden awards $10.2 billion to New Jersey. Here is a a county-by-county and town-by-town breakdown.

Gallery Credit: Sergio Bichao