Sheriff's officer accused of owning illegal assault rifle

MIDDLESEX COUNTY A suspended Middlesex County sheriff's officer is facing more trouble after being accused this week of aggravated assault.

Neil Raciti, 47, of Milltown, who also serves as Borough Council president, was charged Friday with possession of an assault weapon and possession of a high-capacity magazine, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Milltown Police Chief Raymond Geipel.

The weapon, an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, and nine magazine clips loaded with ammunition for the rifle were seized from his home, officials said.

The trigger mechanism on the weapon had been removed. Raciti was charged because he failed to properly register the weapon with police, making the ownership illegal.

Possession of assault rifles is illegal in New Jersey. According to the Prosecutor's Office, there was a period between May 30, 1990, and May 30, 1991, in which owners of assault weapons could lawfully keep them as target rifles or if they rendered the weapons inoperable and they were registered with police.

Raciti's bail was set at $25,000, and he was released after posting 10 percent.

On Sunday, Raciti was charged with simple assault, but the charge was upgraded Monday to aggravated assault, a third-degree crime, after officials learned that the victim had suffered a fracture. The victim was treated and released from Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick.

Raciti was off-duty during the alleged 1 p.m. incident. However, he was suspended without pay from his $87,000 a year job.

Raciti previously was arrested on an assault charge in December 2006, according to records obtained by MyCentralJersey.com. It was not clear how the charge was resolved.

Raciti could not be reached for comment Friday.

Staff Writer Suzanne Russell: 732-565-7335; srussell@mycentraljersey.com