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* * Berkeley Update * *

Monmouth County Sheriff’s Officer Mark Hingston Acquitted Of Theft Charges After Superior Court Jury In Freehold Deliberates Less Than Thirty Minutes

Two Year Ordeal Is Over For Hingston, A Berkeley Democrat And Former 2000 Candidate For Ocean County Sheriff, Who Maintained Charges From Monmouth County  Republican Officials Were A “Political Vendetta”

Attorney John Sheehy, A Former Deputy Attorney General, Says Hingston Should Be Reinstated With Back Pay And Compensation For Defense Costs

Freehold: A Superior Court Jury in Freehold took just thirty minutes to acquit Monmouth County Sheriff’s Officer Mark Hingston of embezzling funds from the Sheriff’s Officers Union, PBA Local #240.

Hingston, a former Democratic candidate for Sheriff in Ocean County and a resident of Berkeley Township, was arrested immediately after the 2000 election which he lost to GOP Sheriff William L. Polhemus.

Hingston Has Been Awaiting Trial For More Than Two Years

Hingston, a veteran of thirteen years with the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, was suspended without pay after the arrest, and has been awaiting a trial for more than two years.

“I’m proud of Mark”, said Hingston’s attorney, former Deputy Attorney General John Sheehy, after the quick acquittal verdict was announced.

Hingston Will Apply For Job Reinstatement

Hingston will apply immediately for reinstatement in his job with the Sheriff’s Department, back pay and benefits, and reimbursement for the costs of his successful defense.

“The basic flaw in the prosecution’s case is that Mark was innocent from the day he was charged”, said Sheehy, who noted “after a long, grueling trial, he can now return to his job”.

Sheehy: “Thirty Minute Jury Verdict Says It All”

“The thirty minute jury verdict to acquit says it all”, said Sheehy, himself a former Essex County Assistant Prosecutor.

“The jury system has worked”, Sheehy noted.

Hingston Active In Berkeley Community

Hingston was active in the community in Berkeley Township, and is a former Commissioner on the Berkeley Utilities Authority.

Sheehy, a resident of Toms River with offices on Hooper Avenue, is a commissioner on the Dover Township Municipal Utilities Authority.

Sheehy DMUA Selection “One Of The Best
Appointments In Fifteen Years”

Sheehy’s appointment to the DMUA last January was described in the media as “one of the best township appointments in fifteen years”.   6/19/03