Detectives from the Mercer County Prosecutors Office seized three laptop computers from the finance office at Hamilton Municipal Building on Wednesday afternoon.

County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri confirmed investigators took the computers during the execution of a search warrant. He said he could offer no further details.

Last week, the prosecutor’s office charged township Mayor Kelly Yaede and a campaign staffer with revealing the 2001 arrest of political opponent David Henderson, which should have been expunged.

Township Business Administrator Dave Kenny, however, said this incident was not related to Yaede, but an ongoing issue with suspended township chief financial officer, John Barrett.

"This is an investigation that we asked the prosecutor’s office to do,” Kenny said.

Barrett’s lawyer, however, said he and his client are confident they are not the target of the investigation. The probe, lawyer Arthur Murray said, has to do with information his client supplied to the prosecutor’s office. Barrett himself declined to comment due to his ongoing cooperation with the investigation, he said.

Barrett was suspended in January and hit with administrative charges for allegedly working for other towns in the state as a finance officer through his own company, PM Consultants LLC, while on township sick time, which he abused. Kenny and Yaede also alleged Barrett of being absent frequently for his side gig.

Barrett responded by filing a civil lawsuit seeking whistle blower protection, alleging the mayor, Kenny and others retaliated against him and filed trumped-up discipline stemming from them illegally signing purchase orders while he was out sick.

One was for $4,686 and certified by finance employee Richard Mulrine. That was particularly concerning, Barrett alleges in the suit, because it authorized a payment to Yaede for personal travel expenses, and Mulrine is the mayor’s brother-in-law.

On Wednesday evening, Kenny charged that the prosecutor’s office took Barrett’s computer on Aug. 22, which the township handed over, and the computers seized Wednesday were assigned to township employees who also worked for Barrett as side job.

Kenny described Barrett as the “nexus” in the matter.

Barrett’s lawyer, Murray, said they are “highly confident” that Barrett is not a target of the probe.

“We invite any criminal investigation...and investigation will show he did not violate any criminal law," Murray said.

Murray said the entire matter has been public for about a year, and he and his client are focusing on resolving his administrative case, and his civil suit against Hamilton.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.