Lower Township Police filed charges against one of their own Saturday, after a hit-and-run accident at about 1:40 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28.
Douglas Whitten, 44, of Lower Township, a 14-year veteran of the department, faces charges of driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident, according to police. He was also suspended from duty by Chief Edward Donohue.
“I am very disappointed at the position that this officer has place himself in, given the fact that he has served this department and our community well for the last 14 years,” Donohue said. “However, in addition to municipal court proceedings, the officer will also face major disciplinary action as a result of this egregious off-duty conduct.”
In the early hours of Saturday, police received a call about a New Jersey Transit bus struck by a gray Dodge pickup.
The bus driver told police that the bus was heading west on Townbank Road approaching Bayshore Road in North Cape May when the pickup swerved into the westbound lane and sideswiped the rear of the bus.
There was little damage to the bus, which was driven from the scene, but the truck’s front end was badly damaged. At the time of the accident, there were two passengers on the bus, in addition to the driver.
Officers began to search the surrounding area for the vehicle. At about 5:30 a.m., Sgt. John Chew found scrape marks in the street on Crawford Road. He followed the marks to a residence, where he found a badly damaged pickup matching the description. Police found that the truck was registered to Whitten. At 6 a.m., he was questioned at his house, and later taken to the police department, where a breath test was administered.
Once it was determined that a police officer was involved, Donohue made contact with the county prosecutor’s office, according to police.