Post by WaTcHeR on Jun 2, 2006 12:03:19 GMT -5
06.02.2006 - An Edison police officer facing charges of running naked from an off-duty car accident testified in his own defense yesterday, admitting that taking off his wet shorts to keep the car seat from getting wet was a foolish mistake.
"One of the most foolish things I've done. I've regretted it the past 11 months. I've embarrassed myself, my family and the police department," officer Ioannis Mpletsakis said during the trial on charges that stemmed from the July 20, 2005, accident.
Officer Mpletsakis repeated what he had told police, that just before the 10 p.m. crash, his BMW was struck by another car that passed him on Route 27, and his car was knocked into a box truck. The officer said he couldn't describe the car. Six other witnesses previously testified that they didn't see other cars pass Mpletsakis or the truck.
Under cross-examination, Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Brian Gillet suggested Mpletsakis had removed the shorts because he had plans to meet a woman who had called his cell phone hours before the crash, while he was on a boat with friends on the Raritan River.
The 26-year-old police officer testified that he didn't know the woman or telephone number Gillet referred to, and the officer's defense attorney, Darren Gelber of Woodbridge, objected to the questions, saying they were irrelevant to the accident and had no factual basis.
Dunellen Municipal Court Judge John Leonard, who is hearing the case, said Gillet was making a "great leap" suggesting a cell phone call was evidence of the officer's plans and refused to allow further questioning along those lines.
Gillet also raised questions about a 2001 accident when, he said, Mpletsakis claimed he was struck by another car and forced into a curb, but Leonard ruled that accident also was irrelevant.
Mpletsakis, who has been on the force for five years, is charged with assault with an automobile, because one of the three men in the truck was injured; hindering his apprehension; and leaving the scene of an accident.
The officer testified yesterday that he ran from the scene because it was dangerous to sit in the damaged car and he didn't want to wait naked on Route 27 because he could have been charged with lewdness. He ran behind a car in the parking lot of the former Revlon property, until minutes later when police Lt. Donald Merker arrived and picked him up to get clothes. Merker had just arrived at the crash scene.
Merker and two other Edison police officers, one of whom was Mpletsakis' friend and the other the father of another friend of the officer, previously testified that they saw no reason to issue a summons for the accident.
But after an internal affairs investigation, Mpletsakis was charged last September. The trial was moved to Dunellen to avoid a conflict of interest. Summations in the case will be given Monday. The officer has been suspended without pay since he was charged.
Mpletsakis was on sick leave at the time of the crash, recovering from injuries suffered in an another off-duty accident Dec. 28, 2004.
Yesterday he testified that on July 20, he had driven to the Edison home of his friend, Thomas Blevins, and Blevins drove them to Edison boat basin on the Raritan River, where they met two other friends and went out on a boat from about 3:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Mpletsakis testified he had three cans of beer, the last one at 6 p.m., while on the boat where the group was swimming and fishing. After leaving the boat, Blevins drove himself and Mpletsakis to the home of another friend, where they went swimming in a backyard pool, the officer testified.
About 9:30 p.m., Blevins drove back to his house with Mpletsakis, the two said goodbye for the night and Mpletsakis walked to his car in the Blevins driveway.
Mpletsakis testified that as he reached the car door, he decided to take off his shorts, believing he could safely make the seven- to 10-minute trip to his home without any problem.
Minutes later on Route 27, Mpletsakis said, his car was hit by another car, and forced into the truck, his car becoming wedged underneath and destroyed. He tried to reach his shorts, but they were blocked under the crumpled dashboard on the passenger's side.
He ran into the street to check on the occupants of the truck, saw that they were laughing at his nudity and did not appear in distress, and then ran from the scene, hoping to reach the nearby Pines Manor banquet hall, where he knew employees who could possibly give him clothes, the officer testified.
However, when he saw people coming out of the former Revlon building, he decided to run behind an isolated car in the back of the parking lot.
Mpletsakis testified that he was traveling about 35 mph when the crash occurred, but he could not estimate the speed of the truck.
An investigator from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office previously testified that by his estimates, Mpletsakis was traveling 28.7 mph faster than the truck -- a claim the officer denied yesterday.
An engineer who testified on behalf of Mpletsakis estimated the officer was traveling about 41 mph.
"One of the most foolish things I've done. I've regretted it the past 11 months. I've embarrassed myself, my family and the police department," officer Ioannis Mpletsakis said during the trial on charges that stemmed from the July 20, 2005, accident.
Officer Mpletsakis repeated what he had told police, that just before the 10 p.m. crash, his BMW was struck by another car that passed him on Route 27, and his car was knocked into a box truck. The officer said he couldn't describe the car. Six other witnesses previously testified that they didn't see other cars pass Mpletsakis or the truck.
Under cross-examination, Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Brian Gillet suggested Mpletsakis had removed the shorts because he had plans to meet a woman who had called his cell phone hours before the crash, while he was on a boat with friends on the Raritan River.
The 26-year-old police officer testified that he didn't know the woman or telephone number Gillet referred to, and the officer's defense attorney, Darren Gelber of Woodbridge, objected to the questions, saying they were irrelevant to the accident and had no factual basis.
Dunellen Municipal Court Judge John Leonard, who is hearing the case, said Gillet was making a "great leap" suggesting a cell phone call was evidence of the officer's plans and refused to allow further questioning along those lines.
Gillet also raised questions about a 2001 accident when, he said, Mpletsakis claimed he was struck by another car and forced into a curb, but Leonard ruled that accident also was irrelevant.
Mpletsakis, who has been on the force for five years, is charged with assault with an automobile, because one of the three men in the truck was injured; hindering his apprehension; and leaving the scene of an accident.
The officer testified yesterday that he ran from the scene because it was dangerous to sit in the damaged car and he didn't want to wait naked on Route 27 because he could have been charged with lewdness. He ran behind a car in the parking lot of the former Revlon property, until minutes later when police Lt. Donald Merker arrived and picked him up to get clothes. Merker had just arrived at the crash scene.
Merker and two other Edison police officers, one of whom was Mpletsakis' friend and the other the father of another friend of the officer, previously testified that they saw no reason to issue a summons for the accident.
But after an internal affairs investigation, Mpletsakis was charged last September. The trial was moved to Dunellen to avoid a conflict of interest. Summations in the case will be given Monday. The officer has been suspended without pay since he was charged.
Mpletsakis was on sick leave at the time of the crash, recovering from injuries suffered in an another off-duty accident Dec. 28, 2004.
Yesterday he testified that on July 20, he had driven to the Edison home of his friend, Thomas Blevins, and Blevins drove them to Edison boat basin on the Raritan River, where they met two other friends and went out on a boat from about 3:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Mpletsakis testified he had three cans of beer, the last one at 6 p.m., while on the boat where the group was swimming and fishing. After leaving the boat, Blevins drove himself and Mpletsakis to the home of another friend, where they went swimming in a backyard pool, the officer testified.
About 9:30 p.m., Blevins drove back to his house with Mpletsakis, the two said goodbye for the night and Mpletsakis walked to his car in the Blevins driveway.
Mpletsakis testified that as he reached the car door, he decided to take off his shorts, believing he could safely make the seven- to 10-minute trip to his home without any problem.
Minutes later on Route 27, Mpletsakis said, his car was hit by another car, and forced into the truck, his car becoming wedged underneath and destroyed. He tried to reach his shorts, but they were blocked under the crumpled dashboard on the passenger's side.
He ran into the street to check on the occupants of the truck, saw that they were laughing at his nudity and did not appear in distress, and then ran from the scene, hoping to reach the nearby Pines Manor banquet hall, where he knew employees who could possibly give him clothes, the officer testified.
However, when he saw people coming out of the former Revlon building, he decided to run behind an isolated car in the back of the parking lot.
Mpletsakis testified that he was traveling about 35 mph when the crash occurred, but he could not estimate the speed of the truck.
An investigator from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office previously testified that by his estimates, Mpletsakis was traveling 28.7 mph faster than the truck -- a claim the officer denied yesterday.
An engineer who testified on behalf of Mpletsakis estimated the officer was traveling about 41 mph.