Suspended Rockaway Twp. cop sets up GoFundMe account

Suspended Rockaway Township Police Officer Clifton "Clif" Gauthier has followed the path of other people by setting up a GoFundMe site to raise money while an official misconduct charge is pending against him.

Gauthier, 35, of Sparta, is accused of calling state Trooper Nagib Saad on Feb. 9, 2012, and telling him he did not have to appear in Rockaway Township Municipal Court to address a driving while intoxicated ticket the trooper had issued to Gauthier's cousin Sean Costigan.

Gauthier has been suspended without pay from his $104,448 job for at least eight months and in November set up a GoFundMe account. GoFundMe, a popular personal fundraising website started in San Diego in 2010, is where anyone wanting money — newlyweds, aspiring pop musicians, the terminally ill, parents searching for funds to bury a child, homeowners facing foreclosure — can solicit cash. The site states that more than $900 million has been raised to benefit hundreds of thousands of users since the 2010 launch.

To date, Gauthier's appeal has raised just $895 toward a goal of $25,000. Some friends and a few anonymous donors contributed, but the largest was from Boonton Township Policemen's Benevolent Association 392 for $500.

Gauthier professes his innocence on the site and identifies some of the hardships the prosecution has caused his family. Assistant Morris County Prosecutor Sahil Kabse, who is handling the case, said he is aware of the GoFundMe site but couldn't comment on it.

Gauthier said some friends urged him to set up a GoFundMe account but said he feels awkward about it because he has worked since he was a teenager and never had to ask for financial help.

"I've always paid my own way," he said, but noted how financially crushing it can be to fight a prosecution.

Currently, a Superior Court judge is considering whether to dismiss the indictment against Gauthier that charges official misconduct. The judge also is weighing whether, if the charge goes to trial, the assistant prosecutor can introduce evidence that Gauthier allegedly tried to interfere in the prosecution of a second relative but was never criminally accused of misconduct in that matter.

Gauthier's site, which includes a smiling photograph of him holding one of his two young daughters, says: "Hello Everyone, My name is Clifton Gauthier. I am a Rockaway Township police officer in New Jersey. I am husband and father of two beautiful girls, ages six and three. I served in the Marines as an infantryman (0311) and I am a decorated Iraqi war veteran that served with the 1st Bn 5th Marines."

"I have currently been charged with official misconduct, witness tampering, obstruction of the process of law and hindering. I am facing a minimum sentence of five years in prison without the chance of parole."

Gauthier explained on the site that he is accused of asking a state trooper not to appear in court so the ticket he issued to his cousin would be dismissed based upon the trooper's failure to appear.

"I would never do this. I would not jeopardize my career or the career of another police officer. Nor do I believe that a DUI ticket would have been dismissed based on an officer not appearing one time.

"This situation has caused major mental and financial stress on my family. We no longer have my income or health insurance as I am currently suspended without pay. My 3-year-old daughter is profoundly deaf (with cochlear implants) and has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder. Thankfully, the school district is covering her tuition to the Lake Drive School for the deaf and some of her ABA therapy that she requires, but there are many other medical requirements that are not being covered."

"I have a long road ahead of me but I am willing (to) fight this as long as I can for my family, career and to protect the interest of fellow police officers who may be charged along the same lines. I feel that the prosecutor's office is more interested in getting a win and making a statement than the truth: that they use the New Jersey statute of official misconduct to bully officers out of their day in court. They attempt to scare us with the financial pressure and the mandatory five-year, with no parole, jail sentence."

Gauthier's message concludes: "I have struggled a lot with starting a GoFundMe account, I need to think of my family first. Any donation would be greatly appreciated by my entire family."

Superior Court Judge Robert Gilson is writing a decision on whether to dismiss the indictment and bar certain testimony from coming out if the case goes to trial. Gauthier is next due in court on May 27.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.