Dover Councilman Arrested Twice For Assault Was Charged With Coercion
Friday, January 3, 2025, 3:45 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
DOVER, NJ.- An embroiled Dover Democratic Councilman who has led a one-man battle in trying to remove individuals from consuming alcohol in a Town of Dover courtyard, arrested twice last year for assault, was charged yesterday with threatening a local business owner.
According to Morris County Prosecutor Robert J.Carroll, following an investigation, on Thursday, January 2, 2025, Sergio Rodriguez, 29, of Dover, New Jersey, was taken into custody and charged with fourth-degree Criminal Coercion. Rodriguez was processed on the charge and released on a summons complaint pending future court proceedings in Morris County Superior Court in Morristown, New Jersey.
   According to Prosecutor Carroll and charging information filed in the complaint, Rodriguez, who is a member of the Town of Dover Council, is alleged to have identified himself as a public official to intimidate a liquor store owner and employee to cease the sale of alcohol to specific individuals. Rodriguez is alleged to have entered the Dover liquor store on October 25, 2024, informing an employee that the store’s liquor license would not be renewed if they continued to sell alcohol to the individuals drinking in a nearby courtyard.
The business owner spoke with Rodriguez later, and during that conversation, Rodriguez again told the owner he was a councilman and could prevent the renewal of the business’s liquor license if the owner did not comply.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The Charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
