Crime & Safety

Milltown Police Officer Charged With Theft

Douglas R. Cole is accused of filing overtime vouches and collecting money for work he didn't perform.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan and Chief Raymond Geipel of the Milltown Police Department today announced that a lieutenant with the Milltown Police Department has been charged with filing overtime vouchers and collecting money for work he never performed.

Douglas R. Cole, 46, surrendered to police on Thursday, Oct. 11, on a charge of theft by deception, a third degree offense accusing him of taking a total of $4,920.30 by filing 17 overtime vouchers on various dates between Dec. 5, 2011, and July 19, 2012.

He subsequently was released in his own recognizance.

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Cole, a member of the police department for 24 years, was suspended from duty pending the outcome of the case.

An investigation began when the Milltown Police Department discovered and reported the theft to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, which conducted the investigation in conjunction with the Milltown Police Department.

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As is the case with all criminal defendants, the charge against Cole is merely an accusation and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

—The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

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