Jury selection is set to begin in the trial of four Edison police officers accused of retaliating against another cop.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- Jury selection will begin later this week in the trial of the four Edison police officers accused of retaliating against a fellow officer for a drunk driving arrest.
A large jury panel selection will take place on Friday, Sept. 16 in Superior Court Judge Joseph Paone's courtroom in the trial of Michael Dotro, Victor Aravena, William Gesell, and Brian Favretto, who are accused of devising a plan in early 2012 to retaliate against a North Brunswick officer who had arrested Dotro's friend on a DWI.
The four officers allegedly had planned to follow the North Brunswick cop and then watch his home in Edison. The plan, however, ultimately was not carried out, prosecutor's say.
The men were also allegedly part of a plan to illegally access police records as part of the retaliation.
The four officers were indicted on charges of conspiracy and official misconduct; Dotro and Gesell were charged with unlawful access to a computer system; and Aravena was charged with witness tampering and a pattern of official misconduct.
The attorneys for the officers had argued for the charges against their clients to be dismissed, maintaining that the officers' actions did not constitute a conspiracy. The lawyers also had sought to suppress evidence, alleging that faulty search warrants had been carried out.
Text messages among the officers are expected to be pivitol evidence in the trial, according to a previous report.
All are suspended without pay as they await trial.
In a separate matter, Dotro is also awaiting trial on charges that he set fire to the homes of his superiors, endangering the lives of the then-captain's wife, children and mother.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges of arson and attempted murder in that matter.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.