Even after indictments detailed a story of revenge, deceit, and misconduct by former Edison Police Officer Michael Dotro, his wife, Alycia, who faced a number of charges herself, remained by her husband’s side every step of the way.
Often times the pair would sit close together, chit chatting quietly with one another, as they waited to appear before a Middlesex County Superior Court judge in New Brunswick during the many required court appearances since the indictments three years ago.
Up until two weeks ago, the Dotros’ were gearing up for a jury trial for one of two pending cases in Middlesex County Superior Court against both of them.
That all came to an end on Aug. 21 when Michael Dotro, 40, of Manalapan, entered into a plea deal with Assistant Prosecutor Russell Curley to serve 17 years in state prison before becoming eligible for parole.
The next day, Aug. 22, Alycia Dotro, 42, of Manalapan, appeared before Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Pedro J. Jiminez Jr., and was admitted into a probationary program known as PreTrial Intervention, or PTI, in connection with the cases, under certain conditions set by Curley.
PTI is a diversionary program typically offered to first-time offenders and upon successful completion of the program, all charges are dismissed, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey.
In one case, Alycia Dotro was charged with hindering in the fourth degree by providing false information during the investigation of Michael Dotro and his involvement in a fire at the home of another Edison officer in an attempt to protect her husband.
She was also charged with official misconduct in the second degree, conspiracy in the second degree and criminal mischief in the fourth degree in connection with her criminal involvement alongside her husband in slashing the tires on a car owned by an Edison woman.
In his plea agreement, Michael Dotro admitted to one count of attempted murder in the first degree and one count of arson in the second degree.
Dotro also pleaded guilty to one count of official misconduct in the second degree in connection with a trial that had commenced on Aug. 15.
In the official misconduct case, Dotro was charged with unlawful access to a computer system and unlawful disclosure of computer system data in 2013 between March 17 and March 20. He is also accused of checking police records and notifying his wife of any reports on the incident of slashing the tires of a car owned by an Edison woman.
It was brought out in a pre-trial hearing in July that the tire slashing incident occurred after Dotro ended an affair with the woman.
Lastly, Dotro pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to tamper with a witness in the third degree in that same case. Dotro had been charged with the witness tampering on Aug. 17.
In May 2013, Dotro, who had been a nine-year veteran of the Edison Police Department, had been charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated arson for allegedly setting fire to the Monroe home of his superior officer, Mark Anderko, who is now retired.
Anderko was home at the time, along with his wife, two children and his mother. No one was injured.
Along with the five counts of attempted murder, Dotro faced charges of criminal mischief, unlawful possession of a destructive device used to set the fire, hindering his apprehension or prosecution by providing false information to investigators and retaliation for past official action of the police captain.
Dotro forfeited his position as a police officer in September 2016 as part of a guilty plea in another case.
In September 2016, Dotro pled guilty to a count of conspiracy for his involvement with three other officers in attempting to harass and humiliate a North Brunswick police officer in 2012 after he failed to show leniency for a drunken driving charge that he issued to a friend of Dotro.
In January, Dotro was sentenced to two years’ probation for the case.
Through the investigation of the aggravated arson case, it revealed the case that involved the North Brunswick police officer.
Michael and Alycia Dotro were indicted, after an extensive investigation by the Detective Bureau of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office led by Detective Donald Heck and Detective Christopher Pennisi.
Michael Dotro is scheduled to be sentenced in New Brunswick by Superior Court Judge Jimenez on Dec. 7.