By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Princeton animal control officer Saul “Nate” Barson, set to stand trial next month in Pennsylvania to face child sex charges, was fired by the municipality on Tuesday.
Town administrator Marc D. Dashield said Thursday that the decision to terminate Barson’s employment was based on the expected extended duration of the trial plus the need for Barson to get re-certified in his job by the state. He said the town needed to move on and “can’t wait any longer.”
The municipality, which has had a contract with neighboring Montgomery to use that town’s animal control officer, has begun searching for Barson’s replacement. A job notice, posted in town hall, said the town is looking for someone to serve in a dual capacity as animal control officer and health inspector. The deadline to apply is Aug.31, the notice read.
Barson, 29, had worked for the municipality since July 2015. But he was suspended without pay after his arrest, in February, on charges that he had sex with a 13-year-old-boy whom he had met through the Internet. The alleged encounter took place Feb. 3, inside Barson’s truck in a park, in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania.
Barson, charged with statutory sexual assault and other offenses, is scheduled to go on trial Sept.13 in Doylestown.
His lawyer, Stephen M. Jones, could not be reached for comment.
