Police Sergeant From Somerset County Forged, Tried To Get Friend's Tickets Dismissed: PD

SOMERSET, NJ — A Somerset woman and police sergeant in Orange Township has been charged after police say she tried to get traffic tickets dismissed for a friend.

Sergeant Yolanda Holmes, 44, of Somerset, is charged with forging the signatures of an officer and a sergeant on two Request to Dismiss or Void Complaint forms on March 24, 2023, announced Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II.

Those forms were then allegedly used to dismiss two motor vehicle tickets that were issued to a friend of Holmes.

The forms processed one ticket, tried to dismiss the other ticket. However, the second ticket had already been paid and could not be dismissed, said Stephens.

The scheme was uncovered after the City of Orange Township Municipal Court returned one of the forms.

Both the officer and the sergeant, whose names appeared on the ticket, confirmed they had not signed the document, said Stephens.

The officer also said that he did not authorize anyone to dismiss the tickets on his behalf, according to Stephens.

Holmes is charged with six counts of fourth-degree forgery, two counts of fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records, two counts of third-degree tampering with public records, and two counts of second-degree official misconduct.

The public is encouraged to report any information related to criminal activity by contacting the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432. All calls will remain confidential.

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