A southern New Jersey police officer facing criminal charges over his arrest of a state legislator claims he's being targeted because he was a whistleblower.
Washington Township Officer Joseph DiBuonaventura claims in a lawsuit against town officials that he is being retaliated against because he had previously alleged police department wrongdoing.
The officer was accused of making a bogus drunken driving arrest last year of Assemblyman Paul Moriarty. Charges against Moriarty were later dropped.
The officer, who was suspended, has pleaded not guilty to charges including official misconduct and falsifying records.
The police department did not immediately respond to the officer's allegations. But Moriarty's attorney tells the Courier-Post newspaper the charges against the officer are based on discrepancies between video of the traffic stop and the officer's written report.
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