Superior Court Judge Pedro Jimenez pressed attorneys on both sides to wrap up pre-trial proceedings to allow the attempted murder and arson case to move forward.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- The case against a former Edison police officer charged with firebombing his supervisor's house in 2013 has dragged on long enough and needs to be taken to trial, a judge said Monday.
"Let me start off by saying, this is case is old, real old," Superior Court Judge Pedro Jimenez said during a hearing on evidence in the case Monday. "It's in my lap now I need to get it resolved."
Michael Dotro, 39, of Manalapan, has one case against him set for trial in August, but the most serious charges of attempted murder and arson have been held up in pre-trial motions and appeals for months.
Dotro is accused of setting his police captain's house on fire while his wife, children and 92-year-old mother were asleep. Edison police Capt. Mark Anderko had ordered Dotro to undergo a fitness-for-duty evaluation and changed his shift days before the fire, authorities said.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said Dotro was angry about the orders and the arson was payback.
The most recent delays in the case have focused requests by Dotro's attorneys to inspect the pickup truck he allegedly used on the night of the firebombing.
The state appeals court ruled in February to allow the inspection without the prosecutor's office present, as long as the defense met a handful of requirements, including an extensive video recording and being supervised by two retired judges.
Dotro's defense team was supposed to have inspected the truck in April and return the video the Jimenez, but the inspection was delayed due to scheduling conflicts with the retired judges, Dotro's attorney Robert Norton said in court.
"I've got my work cut out for me to find a date that's acceptable for everyone," Norton said. "I know you want this done. I want this done as well. We are certainly not delaying it by any fashion."
Norton told the judge he expected the inspection to occur in mid-May.
Norton is also representing Dotro in a separate, unrelated official misconduct case in which Dotro is accused of buying marijuana in uniform, allegedly for his wife, Alycia, and trying to sell the drug.
Dotro and his wife are also accused of slashing a woman's tires 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.
The couple's two-week trial in that case is scheduled to start on Aug. 14.
In January, Dotro was sentenced to probation after striking a plea deal in a case where he and three other officers planned to get back at another officer who gave Dotro's family member a DUI.
Dotro resigned from the force in September after making the deal. In December, his bail was reduced to $800,000 and his travel restrictions were lifted.
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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