No Criminal Charges Will be Filed Against Former Princeton Parking Officer

No charges will be filed against former Princeton Parking Enforcement Officer Chris Boutote, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday. 

Boutote, a former Borough police officer turned civilian employee of the Police Department, was fired by Princeton earlier this month after he allegedly turned a blind eye to certain parking enforcement in town in exchange for goods.

"In light of the proofs in the case, Mr. Boutote’s age and lack of prior record, our office determined that his likely sentence would have been admittance into a pretrial intervention program conditioned upon job forfeiture," said Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for the Prosecutor's office. "This was accomplished through Mr. Boutote’s termination by Princeton, and our office felt that prosecution would not serve the interest of justice."

That man, Jon Hughes, was demoted and given four weeks of unpaid leave after allegedly dismissing a parking ticket at Buotote's request. 

Both attendants were suspended in late September. 

"With regard to Mr. Hughes, our office agreed that he was appropriately addressed through Princeton’s administrative channels," DeBlasio said.