A retired Bloomfield police officer was sentenced Monday to two years of probation for making false statements in reports about a 2012 arrest.
The 51-year-old Albert Sutterlin, of Little Falls, pleaded guilty in October 2013 to falsifying or tampering with records.
On June 7, 2012, Bloomfield Police Officers Sean Courter, 35, of Englishtown and Orlando Trinidad, 34, of Bloomfield participated in the arrest of Marcus Jeter.
On that date, officers responded to a domestic-related call at Jeter's Bloomfield home. Police were called after Jeter threw the girlfriend's cell phone down a staircase during a verbal dispute. Upon arrival, Courter claimed Jeter was drunk and fled after he he was told to stop.
However, Jeter claims he was never drunk and claims Courter actually told him he could leave the residence.
Eventually Courter and Trinadad on the Garden State Parkway where officers made false statements in their police reports, claiming Jeter tried to grab Courter's gun and that Jeter struck Trinidad.
Jeter however said during the trial that he had his hands up the whole time and never tried to disarm Courter nor did he strike Trinidad.
Courter and Trinidad were both convicted on Nov. 5 of official misconduct and related charges. They are each facing a minimum of five years without parol on the official misconduct charge.
Their sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 11 before Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin.
Trinidad also was convicted of simple assault for striking Jeter during the incident.
Since conviction, the officers were suspended without pay and the department established additional procedures to avoid any similar incidents from taking place.
As part of a plea agreement, Sutterlin was sentenced to probationary term after he agreed to truthfully testify against Courter and Trinidad at there Oct. 21 trial.