Former Morris County Employee Charged with Unlawful Taking of County Property
Published on April 29, 2014
Acting Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp announces that Hope Hezel, 44 years old, of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, has been charged with three counts of Fourth Degree Unlawful Taking of a Conveyance.
Between 2010 and 2012, defendant was employed by Morris County as the Director of the Morris Area Paratransit System (MAPS). MAPS is a county-run service which provides transportation to Morris County residents who are 60 or older or 18 or older with a disability. MAPS maintains a fleet of vehicles that are owned by the County of Morris. Those vehicles are used to perform the services that MAPS provides.
Hezel was not authorized to use any county-owned vehicle unless directly related to her employment duties and her functions as an employee of Morris County. Defendant allegedly exercised control over three county-vehicles for her own personal use on various dates during the period from 2010 to 2012, although she knew she was not permitted to do so.
Hezel allegedly used the vehicles to complete personal errands outside her scheduled hours of employment, and also used the vehicles to travel to personal events, such as a youth sporting event in Pennsylvania. Defendant allegedly took affirmative steps to conceal that the vehicle was county-owned, including affixing a decal to hide the official Morris County seal which was affixed to the motor vehicle. It is also alleged that she attempted to remove a county seal decal.
Hezel was charged on April 29, 2014 following an investigation conducted by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. The investigation was led by Detective Sasha Gould of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. Defendant's initial court appearance will be scheduled by the court. She was released on her own recognizance.
Anyone with information relating to these charges is urged to contact Detective Sasha Gould of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Professional Standards Unit at 973-285-6200.
Acting Prosecutor Knapp would like to thank the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Professional Standards Unit whose efforts contributed to this arrest.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Any inquiries can be directed to First Assistant Morris County Prosecutor/SDAG Thomas Zelante at 973-285-6252 or tzelante@co.morris.nj.us.