MONROE — A township public works employee has been ordered to serve 364 days in jail for stealing gasoline from the town for his personal use.
Superior Court Judge Frederick P. De- Vesa sentenced Earl Wilson, 51, of Jamesburg, during a May 29 hearing at the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan.
The judge allowed Wilson time to take care of his personal affairs and ordered him to begin serving his term of incarceration on May 29, 2012, at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center, North Brunswick.
DeVesa also placed Wilson on probation for five years, and ordered him to repay Monroe $213 for the stolen gasoline. He said the defendant must resign his job as foreman for the Public Works Department.
DeVesa advised Wilson that he may not hold any public job and may not receive compensation for any volunteer work. He currently serves as a volunteer emergency medical technician in Jamesburg.
Wilson was arrested last July after an investigation by Monroe Township Police Detective Sgt. Peter Piro resulted in charges that he had used a 5-gallon gas can to take the gasoline from the Public Works Department on 12 separate occasions between April and July of last year.
Wilson pleaded guilty on March 13 to a single count of theft, admitting he stole 60 gallons of fuel, valued at $213, from the township.
He was sentenced after reaching a plea agreement that was negotiated with Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Brian D. Gillet. The plea was entered after Wilson waived his right to a review of the case by a Middlesex County grand jury.