Roselle Mayor Pleads Not Guilty in “Christmas Crash”

Roselle Mayor Garret Smith was indicted in January and charged with leaving the scene of an accident, committing insurance fraud and filing a false police report. His attorney, Thomas R. Ashley, has now entered a plea of not guilty.

As reported in the New Jersey Real-Time News, Smith is said to have damaged his own car and a parked car after leaving a local bar in the early hours of Christmas morning. Instead of stopping, however, he then drove home, leaving a convenient trail of automotive fluid that the police could track right to his garage door.

It was also stated that during a blizzard the next day he apparently moved his car from the garage and onto the street. The police and his insurance company were then informed that someone else had damaged his car; Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow suggested a snowplow driver.

Smith was indicted on one count of insurance fraud and two charges of filing a false police report. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and would no longer be able to hold a job in public office.

Despite these accusations however, Smith is still planning to run for his third term in office.

“It’s just made me stronger and more dedicated to what I have to do,” Smith said in a courthouse lounge, where he pointed to several people who came with him today and said his support is growing.

After court adjourned, his attorney stated that the mayor is innocent and pointed out that none of the charges relate to his leadership of Roselle.

“There was never any intention, whatsoever, to defraud the insurance company. An accident did occur, and an insurance company was obligated to pay for the damages to the mayor’s vehicle,” Ashley said, adding that Smith also never made any intentional “misrepresentation” to law enforcement.

Smith is set to appear in court again on April 4^th.

These are merely allegations as there have been no convictions.  All parties are innocent until proven guilty.