BELMAR — Stephen T. Hines, a former member of the defunct Belmar First Aid Squad, has filed a false arrest claim in a federal court suit against the Borough of Belmar, Mayor Mark Walsifer, Borough Administrator Edward Kirshenbaum and a borough police officer.
The claim centers on theft and misconduct charges made against Mr. Hines on Nov. 30, 2021 and dismissed on Jan. 28 of this year. The charges had cited his use of a municipal gasoline pump to add $56 in fuel to a first aid squad ambulance on April 3, 2021.
The complaint, filed on Dec. 16 in U.S. District Court in Trenton by attorney Thomas J. Mallon of Freehold, also names Detective Phillip Borhman of the Belmar Police Department and “John Does 1-10” described as “Borough of Belmar Municipal Employees; Officials; Appointees; and/or police officers.”
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In the filing, Mr. Hines states that an arrangement for use of the municipal gas pump by the Belmar First Aid Squad for its vehicles was still in effect at the time, adding that he “had access to the pumps through a key and personal code issued to him by Defendant Belmar.”
An often-contentious relationship between the independent and non-profit Belmar First Aid Squad and the municipal government ended with the squad disbanding on March 31, 2021, citing financial difficulties and the COVID-19 pandemic. It was replaced by a borough-operated ambulance service.
In his claim, Mr. Hines alleges that his arrest was a retaliation against the BFAS for refusing to sell its property to the borough — a position that prompted the borough council to consider taking the facility via eminent domain.
Rather than simply bill the BFAS for the $56 in gasoline, the complaint alleges that the borough caused Mr. Hines to be “maliciously prosecuted” with fabricated criminal charges without probable cause.
“Mr. Hines has dedicated a lifetime of service to this community,” Mr. Mallon said. “The borough was mean-spirited and wrong to attack Mr. Hines like this.”
Borough officials had not returned calls for comment on the claim by press time on Wednesday.
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