US Customs Officer Charged with Gun Crime in Hardyston, New Jersey

An officer with US Customs and Border Protection could be headed to trial on very serious gun crime charges after a Sussex County grand jury indicted him for possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose.

The suspect is a 39-year-old man who lives in Hardyston NJ and works for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He was arrested in June 2016 after allegedly flashing his service weapon, an H&K 40-caliber handgun, during an altercation with a next-door neighbor at Carlton Village in Hardyston, NJ.

The suspect was subsequently arrested and charged with numerous criminal offenses, including illegal possession of a handgun with the purpose to use it unlawfully against another, unlawful possession of large-capacity magazines, burglary, official misconduct, and terroristic threats.

The handgun possession charge is classified as a second degree felony, which means that the suspect could potentially be sentenced to 5-10 years in New Jersey State Prison. Additionally, since this type of gun crime charge is covered by the Graves Act, the suspect would be subject to a mandatory term of incarceration if convicted.

To learn more about this case, read the NJ.com article, “U.S. Customs Officer Accused of Flashing His Gun at Neighbor Is Indicted.”