A New Jersey Police Sergeant was criminally charged after lingering at a cemetery and two restaurants instead of responding to a horrific murder-suicide by a fellow cop.
Franklin Township Police Sgt Kevin Bollaro was charged with ‘official misconduct and tampering with records’ in connection with the murder-suicide back in August.
Sergeant First Class Ricardo Santos fatally shot his ex-girlfriend, Lauren Semanchik, and her new boyfriend, Tyler Webb, at their home on Upper Kingtown Road, before killing himself with the same weapon.
Prosecutors allege that Bollaro received three separate calls about gunshots near Upper Kingtown Road the night before the victims were discovered, but failed to properly respond before submitting a false report of his investigation.
Bollaro received the first call around 7pm, but GPS and surveillance footage showed the officer went to an ATM before driving to the scene, the prosecutor’s office alleged.
A second call about the gunshots came in, where prosecutors allege Bollaro was still at the ATM. The third call was relayed to him about five minutes later.
Seventeen minutes passed between the first call and Bollaro’s arrival at the scene, where he allegedly failed to activate his police car’s sirens and body camera.
Bollaro met with the first caller but not the second and third callers, prosecutors alleged.
Franklin Township Police Sgt Kevin Bollaro (pictured) was charged with ‘official misconduct and tampering with records’
Victim Lauren Semanchik (pictured) who was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend in a haunting murder-suicide
Victim Tyler Webb (pictured) boyfriend to Lauren Semanchik, who was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend
The officer drove to a pizzeria after leaving the area, where he stayed for around 50 minutes, according the prosecutor’s office.
Bollaro then went to another restaurant and stayed there for almost an hour ‘engaging socially with patrons’, prosecutors alleged.
GPS data also showed that Bollaro allegedly spent five consecutive hours of his shift at a local cemetery, during which no law enforcement activity was recorded by him.
He then allegedly filed a false report about his actions that night.
Bollaro’s attorney made a statement, which read, in part: ‘Nothing Kevin Bollaro did or did not do that day impacted or could have stopped that tragedy in any way.’
‘Sgt. Kevin Bollaro has faithfully served that community for nearly 25 years [and] is not guilty of anything related to this horrendous killing. This prosecution is unfortunate.’
Semanchik’s family attorneys released a statement saying: ‘The Semanchik and Webb families are shocked at Sgt. Bollaro’s egregious conduct as charged by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor.
‘We believe this to be the tip of the iceberg of the many failures by the local and state police which will be uncovered and which led to the murders of Lauren and Tyler.’
Bollaro was placed on administrative leave and if convicted, he faces five to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000.
His court appearance is set for November 5.
