By Doug Carman, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR The trial for Hightstown Democratic council candidate Robert Thibault on charges stemming from an August 2010 traffic stop was postponed until May after his attorney requested additional time to obtain documents for discovery Wednesday afternoon. Municipal Judge Mary Brennan granted the postponement to 3 p.m. May 11.
Mr. Thibault said the Mercer County prosecutor’s office had not complied with his attorney William Shipers’ requests for those documents, leading to the delay.
Mr. Thibault asked the prosecutor’s office to investigate the Aug. 6, 2010, traffic stop made against him by Hightstown Police Detective Ben Miller. Though Mr. Thibault said Thursday that he never filed a formal harassment complaint, he verbally made the allegation to the Herald following the traffic stop. The then-Republican mayoral candidate was given two citations, for driving while suspended and for failing to surrender his license to authorities after it had been suspended. He entered a not guilty plea to the charges in September.
Mr. Thibault told the Herald that Detective Miller waited in his squad car outside Mr. Thibault’s home the morning a Herald story was published detailing the mayoral candidate’s advocacy for outsourcing Hightstown’s police services to East Windsor. Mr. Thibault said that when he left his house, the detective followed his car and pulled it over. Then, Mr. Thibault said, the detective told him he ran his license and discovered it was suspended as a result of an incident in North Carolina.
Mr. Thibault since has had the traffic charges dismissed in North Carolina after discovering a clerical error and confusion with another New Jersey driver’s license number led to the charges. Mr. Thibault claimed he wasn’t even in North Carolina the day those 2007 citations were issued.
However, the citations from Hightstown were never dismissed.
Detective Miller and Hightstown Police Chief James Eufemia have kept silent on Mr. Thibault’s harassment allegation since last year. Neither of them immediately returned phone calls seeking comment.
Mr. Thibault was a vocal proponent of letting East Windsor absorb the Hightstown Police Department during last year’s failed discussions to that effect, and still is a vocal critic of Hightstown Police Chief James Eufemia. He said he believed the detective was acting in retaliation that day for Mr. Thibault’s stance on the Police Department.
Hightstown Municipal Court Judge James Newman granted a venue change in September, noting Mr. Thibault’s mayoral run at the time and his stance on the police outsourcing issue.

