Police chief accused of drunken hit-and-run gets $260K payout, no criminal charge

A South Bound Brook chief who'd been accused of drunkenly crashing into a parked car and leaving the scene will get a $260,000 payout and retroactive pay raise as he parts ways with the borough.

The settlement, reported by public records advocate John Paff on his blog Monday, lets William C. King retire in good standing three-quarters of a year after a subordinate officer described finding the chief's damaged car in his driveway, and the chief so drunk he couldn't answer questions.

According to the settlement, King agreed to retire at the start of the month and to "release any and all claims against South Bound Brook without any admission of liability or otherwise related to his employment."

In exchange, there won't be any administrative charges against him that would interfere with his retirement. He'll get almost $260,000 for unpaid time off, compensatory pay and one year's salary. His salary will be retroactively boosted to $148,56 for the year — public records show it at $142,860 until the agreement.

New Jersey Advance Media first reported in May of the chief's alleged involvement in the DWI crash, after obtaining a police report through an open records request (note: The author of that article was co-authored by Louis C. Hochman, also author of this article, during his previous employment with NJAM).

In the police report, Officer Richard Meinsen described an early-morning call on April 4, when a Dodge Dakota parked on Main Street was struck by what a witness described as a black Ford or Chevrolet "type" pickup truck with tinted windows that had pulled out of the borough municipal building.

The witness didn't get a license plate, but Meinsen recognized the description as similar to the chief's blue GMC Sierra pickup truck, which he knew was in the lot around the time of the incident, Meinsen wrote in his police report.

He went to the King's home, found the chief's damaged GMC in the driveway and took pictures before calling the chief the chief on his cell phone and asking him to come outside, Meinsen said in his police report. The chief reportedly said his GMC was already damaged, but didn't explain how.

"His breath smelled of alcoholic beverages and he appeared to have been drinking," Meinsen wrote. "He stated to me without my asking that he had a few drinks while at home."

King also denied striking any vehicle. King was charged at the time with leaving the scene of an accident, and then later with with failure to report an accident, careless driving and improper turning.

According to a new report by New Jersey Advance Media, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said that following an investigation, no charges of drunken driving were ever brought.

As part of the settlement agreement, the borough would defend King against any civil actions brought against him while acting within the scope of his employment.