Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Alberto Rivas also reduced the bail for the indicted former officer, Michael Dotro.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- A judge has lifted the travel restrictions and reduced the bail for former Edison cop accused of firebombing his supervisor's home months before he is expected to stand trial.
Michael Dotro, a 10-year veteran of the Edison police force at the center of several separate department scandals, is now allowed to visit his parents in Florida and drive his wife, Alycia, to an out-of-state post-stroke care facility following a decision by Judge Alberto Rivas Monday afternoon.
The former officer, who resigned in September, is accused of setting fire to Deputy Chief Mark Anderko's home in 2013 after the then police captain had ordered Dotro to undergo a psychological evaluation following his 11th excessive force complaint.
Anderko, his wife, his two young children and 92-year-old mother all made it out of the home safely.
Dotro has been indicted in his alleged role in the arson. He has since pleaded not guilty and is expected to stand trial this spring.
Robert Norton, Dotro's attorney, filed the bail motion in Middlesex County Superior Court arguing his client needed to travel out of state for supplies and equipment as the manager of the couple's Freehold restaurant, Alycia's Bistro.
Norton also told the judge Alycia has recently suffered a stroke and would be unable to drive herself to the rehab facility in South Carolina.
"We've done the research and this is where we want to go," Dotro told the judge.
Assistant Prosecutor Russel J. Curley said the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office had no record of the medical condition. It was unclear when she suffered the stroke. Her attorney, Rich Incramona told NJ Advance Media he would not comment on her personal issues.
Curley also argued that Dotro was more of flight risk now than before with his trial expected to start next year and his original combined bail of more than $2 million having been already "substantially reduced."
Dotro has remained free on $1.6 million bail.
Robert Norton, Dotro's attorney, told the judge the 39-year-old would never leave his parents, who posted thousands in cash bail, in such a "dreadful situation" by skipping out on bail.
Rivas ruled that Dotro would be allowed to leave the state as long as he provided the prosecutor's office and probation officer with his full itinerary, except for his trips to New York City for restaurant supplies, which he can make without restrictions.
He also reduced Dotro's bail to $800,000.
Dotro, his wife and his attorney, all declined to comment after the ruling.
Dotro, who has been charged with five counts of attempted murder, aggravated arson and several counts of official misconduct, has maintained his innocence.
His wife, who was in the courtroom Monday as well, has been charged with lying to investigators and using the department's records database illegally. Their attorneys said last week they will seek to dismiss the charges after the couple appeared in court for a status conference.
In a separate case, Dotro has been charged with planning to set fire to another supervisor's home, Edison Police Capt. Matthew Freeman, in April 2013.
The most recent accusations came from the investigation into the Anderko arson, where authorities seized the phones of Dotro and more than a dozen of his friends and colleagues. County authorities said they found text messages between Dotro and fellow Edison officer Christian Pedana detailing the plot six weeks before the former cop allegedly set fire to Anderko's house.
Although the two never acted on the alleged plan, Dotro and Pedana were both charged in early November. Pedana, a 16-year veteran in the department, has since been suspended from the force without pay, according to the township.
An earlier story incorrectly reported that the motion Monday was to reduce the bail related to these charges. However, court records show that no bail has been set for the official misconduct charges related to this case.
In addition to alleged arson plan, investigators said they found slur-ridden texts while searching the phones from Pedana's brother, officer David Pedana, after which he was was suspended for 95 work days but kept his position in the police department.
In an unrelated case, Dorto pleaded guilty with three other officers for their roles in a retaliation campaign to get back at a North Brunswick officer for charging one of Dotro's relatives with drunk driving.
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.