Lakewood case
to be decided
Pension might hinge
on cop’s reinstatement
Outcome in
Lakewood case
to be decided
BY JOYCE BLAY
Staff Writer
For dismissed Lakewood police officer Wayne Truex, 50, getting back his job may mean more than just getting back his paycheck.
In five years, Truex will be eligible to receive his pension, but that is only a guarantee if he is on the payroll, according to Matt Golden, a spokesman for the state Department of the Treasury.
"If he gets his job back, then his benefits would continue to accrue," said Golden. "If the firing sticks, the Police and Fireman’s Retirement System (PFRS) board would examine the reasons for the dismissal and determine whether he is eligible to receive it."
Truex was officially fired from the Lakewood Police Department on May 12, following incidents stemming from a motor vehicle accident in which he struck and killed a pedestrian, Lester Eldridge, 65, of Elmhurst, N.Y., shortly after he began his overnight patrol. Eldridge was killed at about 12:30 a.m. Aug. 30, 2002 as he crossed Clifton Avenue at Courtney Road after leaving a wedding reception at a nearby social hall.
After the accident, Truex admitted to having had several beers at lunch hours earlier, but refused to provide a sample of his blood for testing purposes. He later denied making the admission about the lunch time beers during questioning by prosecutors on Sept. 2, 2002.
No criminal charges were ever filed against Truex.
Truex was served with a preliminary notice of dismissal following unauthorized absence from his job in the weeks after the accident. He had been ordered back to work in November 2002 by former Police Chief Michael Lynch, but instead left word with a dispatcher that he did not feel ready to resume his responsibilities.
According to Township Committeeman Charles Cunliffe, who is the governing body’s liaison with the police department, the decision to fire Truex was made jointly between the Township Committee and Lynch, and was upheld by Lakewood’s first public safety director, Mark Dorsey, who replaced Lynch at the end of 2002.
Dorsey no longer works in Lakewood.
Truex appealed his dismissal from the force to the Office of Administrative Law on May 15, 2003. On Dec. 16, Judge John Schuster III recommended that the firing be reduced to a suspension of 90 days.
If the Merit System Board accepts the judge’s recommendation when it convenes today and township officials choose not to appeal the board’s decision to an appellate court, Truex could be back on the job and back on track to receive his pension when he retires.
"He has 18 years and three months of credited service," Golden told the Tri-Town News on Monday. "His annual salary for retirement purposes is $72,364. He would get 2 percent per year of service" once he is eligible for benefits at 55.
Golden said those benefits would be somewhere in the high 20,000’s were Truex to receive them upon retirement — assuming he is reinstated on the police force.