Ex-Firefighter Facing Arson, Drug Charges May Reject Plea Deal

A plea agreement for former Parsippany firefighter and Morris County Sheriff's officer Jason Campbell, rejected by a judge in Sussex County and sent to Passaic County, may be turned down by the defendant too, NJ.com reported.

Jeffrey Patti, the attorney representing Campbell, told a Superior Court judge in Paterson Thursday the plea agreement’s mandatory five-year sentence for “flashing a badge” to avoid a drug arrest after a traffic stop was too harsh. The article also noted Patti's statement that both the defense and the prosecution had issues with the deal, though Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Brian DiGiacomo said his office supported the mandatory five-year prison sentence.

Sussex County Superior Court Judge Edward Gannon had rejected the plea agreement for a number of reasons, among them that he believed the deal would undermine his "judicial integrity" and because he opposed dropping arson charges against a firefighter, the article said. Campbell, 35, is charged with arson, official misconduct, possession of Oxycodone and child neglect. He agreed last June to plead guilty only to official misconduct for misconduct, drug possession and driving under the influence of drugs. 

Passaic County Superior Court Judge Raymond Reddin gave the lawyers until Oct. 25 to inform him of the plea agreement's status. The matter returns to court Oct. 28, the article said.