The former superintendent of the Kenilworth School District, who admitted last year to pooping under the bleachers of a Monmouth County high school athletic field near his home, has lost a round in court.

A federal judge has dismissed his lawsuit alleging the unlawful release of his mugshot by police.

In April, Thomas Tramaglini filed a lawsuit claiming the Holmdel Police Department illegally took his mugshot and maliciously leaked it to the media, sparking media coverage “around the world.”

Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Anne E. Thompson, in Trenton, granted the town’s defense attorney’s motion to dismiss the suit.

"The plaintiff fails to address any connection between the alleged distribution of the mug shot and the alleged injury suffered, his termination,” Thompson wrote in her Sept. 9 decision. “The sensational media coverage he received seems to have stemmed from the evocative nature of plaintiff’s public defecation charge—a charge to which he eventually pleaded guilty—coupled with the fact that plaintiff was a superintendent at a different school district.”

Tramaglini claimed in the suit, which named the township, Patrolman Jonathan C. Martin and Police Chief John Mioduszewski, that police departments are “expressly prohibited” under state law from taking booking mugshots for “low-level, non-criminal offenses.”

The judge stated that the disclosure of his mugshot did not “reveal any information that was not already public” and that its purpose is to serve as “a visual of someone with pending charges.”

“Its disclosure, without anything more, is less likely to facilitate false or inaccurate reporting about the defendant or his pending charges,” Thompson said.

Tramaglini said his troubles began pre-dawn on May 1, 2018 when he was approached by Martin at the Holmdel athletic track, where he had been running for exercise. The officer ordered Tramaglini to meet him at the police department and both men drove there in separate cars, the suit states.

When Tramaglini arrived, he claims he was issued two summonses for violating non-criminal township ordinances. He was then issued booking arrest number 008978, handed a booking plaque and photographed by Martin and others, his suit stated.

He was issued three summonses and later pleaded guilty to a single municipal offense of defecating in public. In admitting to the municipal offense, Tramaglini agreed to a $500 fine and court costs.

The charges led the Kenilworth district to place Tramaglini on administrative leave and he later resigned.

He has attributed the incident at the high school track to a medical condition that affects his bowel movements when he runs.

In Thompson’s decision, Tramaglini’s attorneys were granted the ability to file an amended lawsuit to fix any “deficiencies," according to the decision.

“A new complaint is forthcoming in state court,” Tramaglini’s attorney, Matthew C. Adams told NJ Advance Media late Monday night. “Holmdel Township will be held accountable for it’s clear violations of established law.”

The town’s attorney, David Schwartz, could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday evening.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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