Dasti Cops A Plea: Drunk Driving Charge Dismissed; Reckless Driving Charge Reduced To Careless Driving And "Failure To Maintain" As Axis-Of-Greed Attorney Keeps His Drivers License After Plea Bargain With Politically-Connected Highlands (Monmouth County) Prosecutor

Republican lawyer Jerry Dasti, head of the second largest pay-to-play law firm in Ocean County, copped a plea as the local court dismissed drunk driving and reckless driving charges against him in the tiny Monmouth County community of Highlands Tuesday.

Dasti is the Chairman of the Ocean County Republican Finance Committee and the attorney for a number of municipalities, planning boards and other public agencies in the shore area.

Enters Guilty Plea To Reduced Charges

Dasti, who lives in Lacey Township, entered a plea of guilty to reduced charges of careless driving and "failure to maintain" in a plea bargain engineered by his attorney, Russell Cherkos, also a partner in the Lacey Road law firm of Dasti, Murphy, McGuckin, Ulaky, Cherkos and Connors.

According to the 2005 edition of the Lawyers Diary, the Highlands Borough prosecutor is John T. Lane, an attorney in a firm headed by former Monmouth County Republican Chairman William Dowd.

Dasti's Partner Negotiated Plea Bargain

Cherkos negotiated the Dasti plea bargain with Lane in a private session held while the local court heard routine motor vehicle violation cases which did not require the direct attention of the prosecutor.

Municipal Court Judge Peter Locascio told Dasti: "You should thank your counsel; he did a good job for you."

Charges Stemmed From December 4th Route 36 Incident

The Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and Reckless Driving charges against Dasti were made by Highlands Patrolman Matthew Chesek after he noticed Dasti driving erratically on Route 36 on December 4th of last year.

Officer Chesek did not testify at the Tuesday's court session and his police report of the December 4th incident is not available to the media, according to court employees.

Sources said Dasti's breathalyzer test produced a blood alcohol reading of .07%; presumptive drunk driving threshold is .08%.

The same sources also told OCP that Dasti produced an affidavit from his Chiropractor that he was being treated for back spasms which may have explained his difficulty in walking steadily after he was stopped by Officer Chesek.

Judge Says Fine ($539) "Higher Than Normal
Because Alcohol Was Involved"

Judge Locascio levied a fine of $306 for the reduced careless driving charge; $200 for the "failure to maintain" charge and $33 in court costs for a total of $539.

The magistrate said the fine was higher than normal because "there was alcohol involved" in the incident.

Dasti, the township attorney in Barnegat for the Republican administration there, was in the news last summer in stories covering the Chief Edward "Overtime" Smith retirement issues.

Click Here For The Barnegat Township Chief Smith
Pension Scam Saga Which Developed In Three Parts

This article prepared for publication 02/09/05.