Just over five months ago, authorities say officer Paul Pappas clocked in for the evening shift, climbed in his unmarked patrol car and drove to New Brunswick to slash his ex-girlfriend's car tire.

The brazen, bizarre incident -- in which the 43-year-old cop, in full uniform, was found underneath his ex's car cutting the woman's tire -- was captured on a nearby security camera, leading to his arrest, according to the police report obtained by NJ Advance Media.

That arrest, on a minor municipal violation, has since sparked a multi-pronged criminal investigation into the Edison Police Department. And now, a police force well-known for its public scandals is facing allegations of steroid use, illegally running license plates and paying officers for no-show off-duty jobs.

So far, only four others face criminal charges -- Sgt. Ioannis "John" Mpletsakis, 38, officer James Panagoulakos, 32, both of Edison Township; officer Gregory Makras, 33, of Cranford; and Sgt. Brian Rossmeyer, 41, of Bedminster. But more arrests are coming.

Twelve weeks ago, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said he expects more officers to be charged in the "near future," but since then, there's been no word out of the office.

Law enforcement sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the inner workings of the department, say the county agency has essentially taken over the internal affairs unit and are logging long hours, working through weekends to review timecards and years of payroll.

Concerned about the possibility of interference, the county has shut the locals out of the investigation -- a sign investigators are looking at the higher-ups on the force, four sources told the news outlet.

At each week's end, there's a feeling of unease among the ranks as officers wonder if today is the day the authorities will bring charges, according to sources.

As many as 20 officers, including those already charged, on a force with 170 sworn officers could be implicated once the investigation is done, according to the sources. It is not known whether all those wrapped up in the probe broke the law or would just face internal discipline.

The county agency has interviewed at least 15 officers, from those on patrol to Police Chief Thomas Bryan, according to sources. The chief has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Last week, Assistant Prosecutor Christine D'Elia provided a pinhole view of what might be coming, saying in court that Pappas recently sat down with investigators, but she stopped short of saying he was cooperating. That interview is expected to lead to additional charges against one of the cops who has already been charged, D'Elia said.

Sources believe Pappas' interview, as well as records investigators are thought to have found on his cellphone, could incriminate others on the force.

The prosecutor's office declined to comment on this story, citing the ongoing investigation.

Chief Bryan also declined to comment.

What we've learned about the off-duty work probe

The five charged officers, four of whom appeared in Middlesex County Superior Court before Judge Michael Toto on Aug. 21, have been accused of making tens of thousands of dollars from voluntary details that authorities say they never worked.

Four Edison police officers appear in State Superior Court in New Brunswick before Judge Michael Toto related to collecting side-job pay for no-show jobs on Aug. 21. (Keith Muccilli | For NJ Advance Media)

Investigators have been looking at whether those in the administration who sign off on payroll knew of, or raised questions about the officers' swelled salary -- in which some pulled in more than the chief.

The system set up to dole out these off-duty details has been a long-standing concern among Edison officers and their union representatives, who have questioned the arrangement that often appeared to favor some over others. But their prior complaints fell on deaf ears, sources say.

And the cash at hand is no small sum. Over the past 2 1/2 years, officers have made $8 million from those details.

Officials, and those inside the department, are now asking if leadership wasn't aware of the alleged widespread paycheck abuse, which lasted nearly three years, is ignorance an acceptable defense?

Carey previously admonished the administration for its system, or lack thereof, for assigning the shifts that "directly resulted in nepotism and corruption." These contracted shifts can pay $40 to $90 per hour for jobs such as security or construction details.

"Edison township officials, however, are responsible for allowing a system of fiscal irresponsibility to exist," the prosecutor previously said in a statement.

A policy was in place, according to two sources, in which officers were required to check in with dispatch and the supervisors on duty when they start and end their shifts, even if those details are off-duty jobs since the cops are armed and have full police responsibilities.

Proper use of that policy could have raised red flags long ago, but it's unknown if it was being followed or if there was a log of those check-ins.

The five officers who have been charged were clocking in at least three places at once for some shifts, sources say.

Officers also used to receive an email around each pay period that would detail the pay and shifts cops were picking up on the side, according to two sources. That emailed breakdown, which provided transparency among officers of the department's voluntary assignments, ended about 18 months ago. But since criminal charges were announced, the practice started again.

When asked about the policies in a series of emailed questions Thursday, Bryan said, "I'm not at liberty to discuss anything about this matter due to the active criminal investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office."

Not a cut and dry case

The county agency is believed to have faced difficulty finding information to charge additional officers in the extra-duty scandal because, aside from the sloppy records, the township's deals with these third parties could include clauses that if a job gets canceled, cops could still get paid for the full shift, according to sources.

The records then could appear as if an officer was in two places at once, so investigators are sifting through records, day by day, and comparing them to the off-duty records.

NJ Advance Media requested copies of those contracts when it reviewed the off-duty earnings in May, but the township clerk said no records exist.

In addition, sources say, officers' paychecks with the extra income are incorrect at times, marked with the wrong date of a detail, and sometimes those wages aren't paid out for months.

The scheduling and payouts were previously handled by former cop Andres Rosa, who retired from the department in 1995 and, for the last 20 years, has been running the side-job operation on a $51,868 township salary.

The township has since taken steps to hire an outside party to handle the scheduling, a practice common in other departments.

Paul Pappas at the center of the investigation

Pappas, a 15-year veteran of the force who has been suspended without pay, now appears to be at the center of all three aspects of the probe into the department: off-duty work, steroid use and illegally running license plates.

Officer Paul Pappas, right, appears in court on two separate cases, allegations of illegal police computer use and official misconduct theft on July 10. (Craig McCarthy | NJ Advance Media)

The revelation that Pappas sat down for an interview with the prosecutor's office has those inside the department wondering what else he knows.

The defense attorneys for the four other officers facing charges were provided with a copy of the recording before the hearing this past week.

What was said on that recording provided a sobering reality for one of the accused, who is said to have realized the gravity of the case being brought by investigators, according to one source.

Much of what investigators started with in the probe, according to sources, came from Pappas directly or indirectly. Authorities are believed to be in possession of some of Pappas' records from the off-duty jobs, which were said to have been on his phone. Also, days after the tire-slashing incident, Pappas' ex gave statements to internal affairs detailing what the two had discussed over the years.

Deals have been put on the table for the four charged in the job scandal, according to the prosecutor's office: four years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea to second-degree official misconduct.

None has taken the prosecutor's office up on the offer. Their defense attorneys all declined to comment after court Tuesday. All have been suspended without pay.

In the department and at a PBA meeting, officers have been told that if they were involved with Pappas, they should get a lawyer and tell investigators what they know, according to three sources.

Steroids allegations

News broke of possible illegal steroid use among a handful of police officers two months after Pappas was arrested on the municipal charge.

The exact number of officers who were drug tested was unknown, but sources previously said it was at least 15.

When NJ Advance Media first reported the claims, seven officers had been placed on desk duty as they awaited the results of their drug screens.

Since then, two of those officers, who the news outlet did not name because they have not been charged, have been suspended with pay, according to the township.

Sources say those officers tested positive for steroids, while the others accused of drug use had their tests come back clean or had provided authorities with a prescription and have returned to full duty.

License Plates

Little is known about the case against officers who allegedly helped Pappas stalk his ex-girlfriend by accessing a police database and running license plates.

Pappas has been charged with accessing police records illegally, but NJ Advance Media has only learned of other officers' involvement through sources.

None of those officers have been named.

This is reminiscent of a small facet of the now-infamous Michael Dotro case in which four officers lost their jobs for similar misdeeds.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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