Former Edison police officer Michael Dotro is also accused separately of setting fire to his supervisors house and plotting to firebomb another officer
NEW BRUNSWICK - The former Edison officer accused of setting fire to his supervisor's house and plotting to firebomb another officer will face a trial later this year on an unrelated set of misconduct charges allegedly involving his wife.
Michael Dotro and his wife Alycia submitted their signed pre-trial documents Friday during a hearing before before Superior Court Judge Pedro Jimenez. The official misconduct case is set for trial in August .
Dorto and his wife are accused of slashing the tires of a woman who worked in the police department's violations bureau, and accessing the department's computer database illegally to review police records on the incident together.
Dotro, a 10-year police veteran, is also accused of buying marijuana in uniform, allegedly for his wife, and trying to sell the drug. The officer also carried two prohibited weapons while on duty, brass knuckles and a blackjack, according to police.
The couple faces a number of charges in the alleged 2012 and 2013 incidents, including official misconduct, conspiracy and criminal mischief.
Dotro, 39, faces up to 39 1/2 years in prison and will not be eligible for parole for at least 15 years if convicted on all charges, his attorney, Robert Norton, said in court.
Alycia Dotro, 41, faces up to 21 1/2 years in prison, five of which would be mandatory before being able to apply for parole if convicted, according to her defense attorney, Richard Incremona.
Although no deals were proposed in the case by either side, the court papers filed Friday prohibit any deals going forward. Jury selection will start on Aug. 14 and the trial is expected to last two weeks, according to Jimenez.
Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office brought the charges against the couple four years ago, months after Michael Dotro was accused of setting his police captain's house on fire while his wife, children and 92-year-old mother were asleep.
Days before the fire, Edison police Capt. Mark Anderko ordered Dotro to undergo a fitness-for-duty evaluation with a psychologist, which lead to his 11th excessive force complaint, authorities said.
The prosecutor's office previously said that Dotro was angry about the evaluation and over having his shift changed by Anderko.
Dotro faces five counts of attempted murder in the arson case. A judge reduced Dotro's bail to $800,000 in December and lifted his travel restrictions.
That case has been delayed for months pending appeals of motions in the case.
The February appeals court ruling upheld a trial court's decision on a request from Dotro's defense team to inspect the truck the ex-cop allegedly used to carry two make-shift bombs to Anderko's house in Monroe in May 2013.
After the pretrial conference Friday, Norton told NJ Advance Media he was pleased with the appeals court ruling.
"We believe it will have a substantial impact on the case," he said.
Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Russell Curley declined to comment on the case or ruling.
Dotro will be back in court on April 24 to review the video recording of truck inspection as required by the appeals ruling. Norton said he expects to examine the truck some time over the next few weeks.
Dotro was also accused of plotting to set fire to a supervisor's house, but the plan never materialized.
In January, Dotro was sentenced to probation after striking a plea deal with the prosecutor's office in a scheme to get payback on another officer for charging a family member with a DUI. Three other officers pleaded guilty to lesser charges in the case as part their plea deals and were sentenced to probation.
Dotro and the three other officers all resigned in September when the deals were made.
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.