More Charges for Manalapan Man Accused of Firebombing Veteran Officer's Home

The Edison police officer from Manalapan accused of firebombing a police captain’s home returned to jail on Thursday.

Michael A. Dotro, 36, was charged with 17 counts, including four of official misconduct for illegally accessing police computer records (2 counts), slashing a woman’s car tires, possessing illegal weapons (2 counts) and buying marijuana while on duty and in uniform, Acting Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey announced.

The weapons in question are alleged to be brass knuckles and a small club known as a blackjack. An investigation conducted by Investigator Donald Heck and Investigator Scott Crocco, both of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, determined he was in possession of both weapons while on duty. The weapons were reportedly in his duty bag, along with a quantity of marijuana and a device used to smoke the substance on May 23 of this year, Carey said.

Dotro, who has been suspended by the Edison Police Department, was apprehended at his Manalapan home at 6:30 Thursday morning. One of his charges was engaging in a pattern of official misconduct, Carey said.

Dotro is accused of illegally accessing police records on August 1, 2012 to obtain the license plate number of a vehicle at the request of an unnamed resident, Carey said.

He is accused of once again accessing computer records to access the criminal mischief records on an incident in which he is accused of slashing a woman’s tires on March 17 of this year, Carey said. He then revealed his findings to an unnamed individual, and thus stands accused of disclosing information in a confidential police investigation.

Dotro also allegedly purchased an undetermined amount of marijuana while on duty and in uniform in December of 2012, Carey said.

On May 31, of this year, he was charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated arson in connection with a fire at the Monroe home of a veteran police officer set on May 20.

Dotro was released on bail, but was apprehended once again on Thursday. He is being held in the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in North Brunswick in lieu of $340,000 bail. The judge deemed the full amount must be paid in order to bail him out.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Heck at (732) 745-8848, or Investigator Crocco at (732) 745-4471.