HOBOKEN – The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office dropped kidnapping and harassment charges against Hoboken businessman Jerry Carter this week.
The charges were initially filed by Hoboken police, but immediately handed over to the county. Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said today that a legal review led to an administrative dismissal of the case. The charges were never put before a grand jury seeking an indictment, DeFazio said. Since the Hoboken police handed the case over, new information has been provided by Carter and his attorney Joseph Hayden that has changed the case, DeFazio said.
He also said having an out-of-state “witness/victim” was a factor in the results.
Carter is the president and CEO of First Priority Payoll, a Hoboken-based payroll company.
In December, he was arrested for allegedly harassing a former assistant. In a bizarre twist, the assistant previously had written many good things about her boss and her job in essays on the internet.
Carter’s lawyer, Joe Hayden, commented Wednesday, “We are grateful that after a thorough and professional investigation by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Jerry Carter has been completely cleared of the criminal charges filed against him. Mr. Carter and his family very much appreciate all the support that they have received from friends and members of the business community during this ordeal.”
When asked if any of the strange harassment charges may have had a basis outside criminal law, he said, “It’s clear that the prosecutor’s office indicated there was no basis for a criminal investigation.”
For more updates on this story later, watch this space.