By: Stephanie Prokop
BORDENTOWN CITY The wife and stepchildren of Public Works Supervisor Robert Erickson are among four people who have been charged in connection with the theft of gasoline from city pumps last year, city police announced this week.
Mr. Erickson, however, has not been charged or implicated in the case, police said.
Police said Mr. Erickson’s stepson, Robert Novak, 21, who was employed by the city last year as a laborer, had been taking gasoline from the city pumps and then storing it in gas cans at his stepfather’s house, where he lived, on Second Street from June 2006 through November 2006.
The gasoline pumps are located on Dunns Mills Road, near the Bordentown Regional Middle School. The access to the pumps was granted by use of a key kept at the facility for government workers to use.
Commissioner James Lynch said the gas pumps are owned by the school district. The city gets billed monthly by the Board of Education for having the pumps located there.
"Everyone who gets gas from those pumps has a key with a number on it," Mr. Lynch explained.
Mr. Lynch added that normally officers and city workers go another step and call into the city and say how much gas they are going to be using.
He said the Department of Public Works has two numbered keys, but the number is not electronically recorded when gas is being accessed.
"Whenever anyone goes to get gas, you know it’s being taken by the public works keys, but you don’t specifically know which key holder it is," he said.
"We did have a witness come forward," said Mr. Lynch, "So we then interviewed (Mr. Novak), and he said he had been taking it on a weekly basis in cans."
Mr. Lynch said Mr. Novak had access to the key because he worked for the city last summer.
Police said they have not yet determined the value of the gasoline that was taken. Police Officer Barbara Childs said that is still under investigation.
Police said that after Mr. Novak took the gasoline, family members would fill their personal vehicles. Police said that on at least one occasion, Mr. Novak went to the city gasoline pumps while off-duty and filled up his sister’s and mother’s vehicles.
Mr. Novak was charged with theft and defiant trespass, while his stepsister Rochelle Novak, 19, and her boyfriend, Jordan Morgan, 20, were charged with theft. Mr. Erickson’s wife, Beryl Erickson, 43, was charged with receiving stolen property.
According to Officer Childs, the family members were not jailed, but were served with the arrest papers pending a municipal court date.
According to police, Mr. Erickson said that he knew nothing of the theft that was going on, or of the stolen gasoline being kept at the house.
Officer Childs also said that Mr. Erickson has retained his job as public works supervisor.
Commissioner Lynch described the situation as "an unfortunate set of events."
"It was something that came to our attention, and we investigated it," he added.
Mr. Erickson said that he had no comments regarding the ongoing investigation.

