Sheriff's officer is fired

Friday, August 17, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A Hudson County sheriff's officer has been fired following an investigation triggered by the arrest of a man in her car, where police say they found drugs and a loaded gun, officials said.

Hudson County Sheriff Joseph Cassidy said Officer Jennifer Ocasio was fired Tuesday, based on an administrative investigation following the arrest of Travis Lee Bruce, 24, of Rahway, on Beacon Avenue at Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City on June 10.

Officials said Ocasio, who was still in her first-year probationary period as an officer, was fired for giving conflicting statements in her explanation of events leading to the arrest in her car.

She told officers she did not know Bruce had her car, but a security camera at the Sheriff's Office had captured images of her handing him the keys, an official said.

On June 10, plainclothes officers were at a gas station when they saw Bruce rolling a marijuana cigarette in the driver's seat of Ocasio's car, reports said. The cops took Bruce out of the car, and they found a bag containing smaller bags of marijuana in the car, reports said.

Bruce was taken into custody and the officers then learned the car belonged to Ocasio, reports said. While one of the cops was driving the car to the police station, he found a loaded .38 caliber handgun under the driver's seat, reports said.

Ocasio was issued a ticket for allowing an unlicensed driver to use her car, reports said. Cassidy said it was not Ocasio's gun, and said he did not know the relationship between Bruce and Ocasio. Ocasio remained on duty until her termination.

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I am not sure -- since it is the last line in the first article posted here -- I bet it was an accident of the part of the poster -- likely they picked up the line by accident while they were clipping and pasting the article.

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Who the heck is Edley?

Drug test for sheriff's officer after car tied to crime

Wednesday, June 20, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A Hudson County sheriff's officer has been ordered to take a drug test after police arrested a man in her car who they say had drugs and a gun, officials said yesterday.

"We had probable cause to give her a urine test and we have filed departmental charges against her for conduct unbecoming an officer," Hudson County Sheriff Joseph Cassidy said yesterday, referring to Officer Jennifer Ocasio.

Cassidy said the drug test results are expected in a couple of weeks and if they come back positive, Ocasio will be dismissed. If the test comes back negative, she will still face the departmental charges, Cassidy said.

The sheriff said Ocasio gave inconsistent statements after Travis Lee Bruce, 24, of Rahway, was arrested in her car at a gas station on Beacon Avenue at Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City on June 10.

Plainclothes officers were at the station when they saw Bruce rolling a marijuana cigarette in the driver's seat of Ocasio's car, reports said. The cops took Bruce out of the car and inside found a bag containing smaller bags of marijuana, reports said.

Bruce was taken into custody and the officers then learned the car belonged to Ocasio, reports said. While one of the cops was driving the car to the police station he found a loaded .38 caliber handgun under the driver's seat, reports said.

Ocasio was issued a ticket for allowing an unlicensed driver to use her car, reports said. Cassidy said it was not Ocasio's gun, and said he did not know the relationship between Bruce and Ocasio. Ocasio remains on duty.

Attention Hudson County Sheriff's Officer Jennifer Ocasio - not good enough. She would have known this guy very well to lend him her car.
I would find it hard to believe that she was unaware of his drugs and guns.

PROBATION OVER - SACK HER NOW

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Well, I guess it's now obvious who to ask where to buy exotic herbs . . .

Cops: He had drugs, gun in sheriff's officer's auto

Wednesday, June 13, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City police busted a Rahway man inside a car belonging to a Hudson County sheriff's officer after finding bags of marijuana and a gun in the vehicle, police said.

Travis Lee Bruce, 24, was arrested at a gas station on Beacon Avenue at Kennedy Boulevard at 10:48 a.m. Sunday and charged with numerous weapons and drug dealing offenses, reports said. He was in a black Mitsubishi Gallant belonging to Hudson County Sheriff's Officer Jennifer Ocasio when taken into custody, reports said.

Ocasio was issued a ticket for allowing an unlicensed driver to use her car, reports said. Hudson County Sheriff Joseph Cassidy said his office is filing administrative charges against Ocasio, and is also assisting Jersey City police in the investigation.

Plainclothes officers were at the Exxon station when Bruce bought a cigar and got back into the driver's seat of Ocasio's car, where they saw him rolling a marijuana cigarette in the cigar's shell, reports said. The cops took him out of the car and inside the driver's side armrest they found a bag containing smaller bags of marijuana, reports said.

Bruce was taken into custody and the officers then learned the car belonged to Ocasio, so they reached out to her, reports said.

While one of the cops was driving the car to the police station he found a fully loaded .38 caliber handgun under the driver's seat, reports said. Bruce told police the gun was his, and said he bought it on the street near his home for his own protection, reports said.

Police removed Ocasio's baton, her eight-pointed sheriff's hat and her state Police Benevolent Association shield from the car, and the items were taken by a sheriff's office lieutenant who responded to the North District, reports said.

Ocasio graduated from the academy less than a year ago and she is still a probationary officer. She is assigned to the security detail in Hudson County Superior Court courtrooms in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City, Cassidy said.

The relationship between Bruce and Ocasio is not yet clear, Cassidy said.

Police would not release Edley's mug shot.