Somerset County's chief of detectives charged with assault after March DUI crash
To avoid a conflict of interest, the Morris County prosecutor’s office assumed the investigation into the high-ranking official.
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The chief of detectives for the Somerset County prosecutor's office has been hit with criminal assault charges following a March driving-while-intoxicated crash that injured two people.
Morris County prosecutor announced that Francisco Roman Jr., 54, has been officially charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault by auto. Roman is currently suspended without pay from his leadership role within the Somerset County prosecutor's office.
The charges stem from an incident on Friday, March 20, on South Bridge Street in Somerville. According to authorities, Roman was driving a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe—owned by Somerset County—when he allegedly struck a parked Mercedes-Benz.
The force of the initial collision caused a chain reaction, damaging three additional parked vehicles along the street. The driver of the Mercedes-Benz and a passenger both sustained injuries in the crash.
Somerville police officers responded to the scene, where Roman allegedly showed clear signs of impairment. He was arrested and transported to the Somerville police station, where he was issued a citation for driving while intoxicated (DWI) and subsequently released.
To avoid a conflict of interest, the Morris County prosecutor's office assumed the investigation into the high-ranking official.
Following their independent probe, Morris County detectives officially charged Roman on Monday. He was processed and released pending his next scheduled court appearance.
