Naked cop exonerated by Superior Court judge
His future with Edison police hinges on outcome of departmental charges
BY TOM CAIAZZA
Staff Writer

EDISON - A state Superior Court judge overturned the conviction of former Edison Patrolman Ioannis Mpletsakis on Jan. 3, nullifying a conviction for hindering apprehension in Dunellen Municipal Court in June.

Judge Melvin L. Gelade overturned the conviction on appeal, citing that the defendant broke no laws after leaving the scene of an accident in July 2005.

"We thought we had sufficient evidence and we proved it in municipal court," said Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Brian Gillet. "But Judge Gelade decided otherwise, and he found him not guilty."

Mpletsakis was driving home from a friend's house when he struck the rear end of a box truck on Route 27 in Edison. Mpletsakis had been driving naked because his swimming trunks had gotten wet while swimming in a friend's pool.

After the accident, Mpletsakis left the scene of the accident naked and was found by Edison police hiding in a bush. According to previous reports, the officer who found Mpletsakis took him home to get clothes before returning him to the scene of the accident, a process that took nearly 30 minutes.

Mpletsakis was found guilty in June 2006 of hindering apprehension, according to Gillet, because prosecutors felt he had lied to police about the speed he was traveling and the existence of a third car that had caused him to cause the accident. The charges of reckless assault with an auto and leaving the scene of an accident did not stick and he was acquitted of both charges.

What did stick was the hindering apprehension charge, which resulted in the same judge signing a forfeiture order, last July, prohibiting the patrolman from returning to the force or ever again holding public office.

That order has been vacated, Gillet said.

Mpletsakis' attorney, Darren Gelber, said that with his client exonerated of all charges, he should be able to resume his post serving and protecting Edison.

"We sent a letter to the chief [of police] demanding he be reinstated," Gelber said. "There is no legal reason why he should not be reinstated. He was terminated because of his conviction; there is no conviction, so he should be reinstated."

Gelber said that the judge's ruling was "vindication" for his client.

"Mpletsakis has always maintained a faithful account of the accident," Gelber said. "The judge completely vindicated him. Each and every charge against him ended with not guilty."

Although the criminal prosecution has ended for Mpletsakis, his future is still unclear. The decision as to whether he would be allowed to resume his job on the Edison police force will be decided by Police Chief George Mieczkowski, who could not elaborate on when that decision would be handed down but said they "hope to move on this quickly."

"That is being looked into right now; we're looking into the entire situation," Mieczkowski said. "There are departmental charges pending, and we're evaluating those as we're planning."