CLINTON -
Former Clinton Patrolman Leon Cohen was sentenced to five years in state prison
Friday for selling police equipment, which he bought ostensibly for the town's
D.A.R.E. program, on the Internet for his own financial gain, Hunterdon County
Prosecutor Anthony Kearns reported.
The sentencing came after Cohen plead guilty to
second-degree official misconduct on June 6.
In addition to prison time, the former patrolman has also
provided restitution to the municipality, said Kearns.
The Clinton Police Department Internal Affairs Unit began an
investigation into Cohen's possible misconduct in June 2011 after members of
the police department reported Patrolman Cohen was possibly selling
police-issued equipment on the internet, said Kearns.
Further investigation revealed Cohen was "falsifying
documents to obtain additional equipment, purportedly for the DARE Program, and
possibly selling the equipment or keeping it for his own personal use,"
according to the prosecutor.
When it became apparent that the investigation may have
involved criminal acts, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office Bureau of
Professional Standards joined in, Kearns said.
"Evidence obtained by detectives resulted in Cohen
being charged with official misconduct, theft, and forgery," Kearns added.
"Anytime a law enforcement officer violates the public trust, they will be
held accountable."
According to the prosecutor, as part of Cohen's plea
agreement the charges of theft by deception and forgery were dismissed.
Cohen began working for the Clinton Police Department in
1999, according to police Chief Brett Matheis. Cohen was a School Resource
Officer and D.A.R.E. Officer for Clinton Public School but was suspended from
the department after his arrest, the police chief said.
Patrolman Cohen resigned his position on the Clinton Police
Department immediately, according to the prosecutor