HOWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Andrew Kudrick, the disgraced former chief of the Howell Police Department in New Jersey, pleaded guilty to an obstruction of justice charge, according to reports.
Kudrick, 50, admitted in court on Monday to having an affair with a subordinate, then lying about it to a special counsel hired by his town to investigate the rumors. There is no love lost between Kudrick and the rank and file officers at the agency. As the former top cop left the courthouse, he engaged in a brief, yet bitter exchange with the PBA president.
Even after Kudrick left the department in March 2022, two years before his contract was up, officers have remained unhappy with their former boss.
Several PBA members reportedly lined the back of the courtroom as their former leader lodged a guilty plea that could land him in jail for more than a year — but will likely just mean probation, the Asbury Park Press reported.
“You’re a clown,” the bitter chief told James Alexander, the union president, as he left the courtroom.
“But you’re a felon,” Alexander replied, according to the news outlet.
The New Jersey State Attorney General’s Office hit the former chief last year with an array of charges stemming from the cover-up, including misconduct, false swearing, tampering with public records, witness tampering and obstruction.
The deal allowed him to plead guilty to obstruction, while the additional charges were dismissed, reported the New York Post.
Consequently, another condition of the plea is that Kudrick is permanently prohibited from public employment. Even applying for a public job in the future could lead to a charge of contempt of court, Superior Court Judge Paul X. Escandon told him during the hearing.
Amid the departmental turbulence, the local police union held a no-confidence vote in December 2021 since morale was reportedly at an all-time low.
Alexander said Kudrick’s plea was “some level of vindication for our membership after all the chaos and turmoil,” the Asbury Park Press reported.
“We just felt it was important to come and bear witness to him finally admitting guilt,” the union leader told the Press. “It’s nice to finally see him take some responsibility for his actions.”
Kudrick’s lawyer, Robert A. Honecker, said his client is “remorseful for his conduct” and “wishes to put this entire matter behind him.”
Kudrick is scheduled to be sentenced July 19.
