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Sunday, October 11, 1998 By Robert Stern
CAMDEN The Woodbury Police Department has been named as a defendant in a $17 million lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court by a third-party congressional candidate for the 1st District. The other defendants named are Gloucester Township, its police department and one of its patrolmen, along with the State of New Jersey, the state police and one of its state troopers and Burlington County Family Court. In the suit, Edward Forchion of Chesilhurst alleges Woodbury police violated his First Amendment rights to free speech when they arrested him June 26 and charged him with defiant trespass while he was campaigning in a vacant lot on Route 45 across from the Acme. Forchion is the Legalize Marijuana Party candidate running against incumbent Robert Andrews, D-1st Dist., of Haddon Heights and GOP challenger Ron Richards. He is also running for Camden County freeholder. The suit seeks $5 million from the Woodbury Police Department, as well as a public apology and the opportunity to hold a public concert here in favor of legalizing marijuana. Woodbury Police Chief Karl Kinkler declined to comment on Forchion's lawsuit. The legal action also demands $5 million and a public apology from Burlington County because, Forchion alleges, a family court judge there stripped him of weekend visits with his 4-year-old daughter on Sept. 16 simply because Forchion favors legalizing marijuana. In addition to apologies from each defendant, Forchion wants $2 million from Gloucester Township, $1 million from its police department, $1 million from Gloucester Township Ptl. Edward Bryant, $1 million from the State of New Jersey, $1 million from its state police and $1 million from state Trooper Thornton. He also wants to hold a concert in Gloucester Township in favor of legalizing marijuana. Forchion alleges that Gloucester Township Police violated his constitutional right to free speech, assaulted him by spraying him with mace and unlawfully searched his vehicle during a 2 a.m. arrest May 2 on Presidential Drive. He was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and resisting arrest for what Forchion says was blowing his horn to get neighbors' attention after police stopped him. Police allegedly found half a joint of smoked marijuana inside his van, which is a virtual billboard advocating the legalization of marijuana. Before the end of May, Forchion filed a criminal complaint charging Ptl. Edward Bryant with assault. Shortly thereafter, Forchion received a letter from Gloucester Township Police Chief John Stollsteimer informing him that the department would conduct an internal investigation based on that complaint. Stollsteimer acknowledged Forchion's complaint and a subsequent investigation but he declined to comment on the status or findings of the investigation of Bryant, 29, a three-year veteran of the force. He said Bryant remains on the job. The allegations against the state police stem from an incident that Forchion said took place outside the Gloucester Township municipal building on the morning of May 19. Forchion said he was in court that day for a hearing on the May 2 charges. After the judge granted Forchion's request for a change of venue for the hearing to Winslow Township Municipal Court, Forchion said he began distributing campaign literature and collecting signatures for his petition to run for Congress. As he did this, Forchion said he and state Trooper Thornton engaged in a verbal dispute and Thornton allegedly grabbed Forchion in an attempt to throw him from the steps. The next day, Forchion said, he went to Trenton to file a complaint with the state police Internal Affairs Division. State police spokesman John Hagerty declined comment Thursday, saying the police had not been served with the lawsuit. As for the complaint against Thompson, Hagerty said state police policy bars him from disclosing whether a private citizen has filed a complaint against one of its officers with the Internal Affairs Division. |
