Prosecutors allege Donald J. Reddin warned the subject of an investigation during a March police operation; he has been suspended without pay and released pending court.
ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. A Rockaway Township police officer has been charged with obstruction and conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance after prosecutors alleged that he gave confidential information to the subject of a criminal investigation.
The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office announced the case on Sept. 3. Donald J. Reddin, 34, of Wharton, was charged by summons on Aug. 31 with one count of fourth-degree obstruction of a government operation and one count of third-degree conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance. He was employed as a Rockaway Township officer at the time of the alleged conduct and is now suspended without pay, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Prosecutors allege that on March 12, Reddin told the subject of an investigation not to leave his residence because police were active nearby. The warning allegedly interfered with the execution of a search warrant. The office did not identify the investigation’s subject, specify the controlled substance involved, describe Reddin’s alleged role in a distribution conspiracy or provide his next court date.
Reddin was processed and released pending a court appearance. A summons release is not a finding on the evidence. The charges are accusations, and Reddin is presumed innocent unless proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.