Hunterdon County Democrat

Former Hunterdon Sheriff William Doyle indicted on weapons charge
December 16, 2009, 10:30AM
BY WARREN COOPER

Former Hunterdon County Sheriff William Doyle faces charges of unlawfully transferring a firearm, stemming from his role in an incident in October 2006 when an antique handgun went off in a county undersheriff’s locker at HealthQuest in Raritan Township. The investigation, begun nearly three years ago, moved from Hunterdon Prosecutor’s Office to the state Attorney General’s Office to Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi.

According to Capt. Jeffrey Paul of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, “It is alleged that he unlawfully disposed of the firearm by transferring possession of it to another individual who was not trained or qualified to possess or use it.”

The Morris County grand jury found sufficient evidence to indict Doyle for giving the Davis Industries .38 caliber two-shot derringer to his long-time friend and employee, then-Undersheriff Peter Harcar. The grand jury handed up the indictment yesterday, Paul said. It is a fourth-degree crime, punishable by up to 18 months in prison.

“I did nothing wrong,” Doyle said yesterday. He said that he had requested the opportunity to appear before the grand jury, but was denied. “A prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich if he wants to,” he said. “It will all come out in the wash.” An indictment is a grand jury’s ruling that enough evidence exists to warrant a trial.

The antique gun accidentally discharged in Harcar’s locker at the Route 31 health club on Oct. 16, 2006, after Doyle allegedly gave the weapon to him to try out. Harcar initially claimed his cell phone had exploded, but later admitted that the derringer had gone off. A witness said there were about 10 people in the locker room at the time, but no one was hurt.

Harcar was suspended with pay immediately after the incident, but on Jan. 29, 2007 he pleaded guilty to two counts of official misconduct for lying to investigators about it. At the time, Harcar claimed he had lied to thwart investigation into Doyle’s role in the incident.

According to Charles Ouslander, Hunterdon assistant prosecutor, the Doyle investigation was initially turned over to the state Attorney General’s office because of an unspecified conflict of interest. The state then assigned the case to Morris County.

As part of his plea agreement, Harcar had to cooperate fully with the Morris County investigation into Doyle’s actions. He also had to resign from his $83,549 per year job and was prohibited from working as a public official in New Jersey. He forfeited his firearms and permits and was not allowed to enter the Pre-Trial Intervention court diversion program, which could have kept him from getting a criminal record.

Doyle, who was in the last year of his third four-year term in office when Harcar was sentenced, did not to seek re-election and left office on Dec. 31, 2007. He said at the time that he had done nothing wrong in lending his friend the unusual weapon.