TOMS RIVER - A former Lacey Township Committee member was behind bars Monday, charged with several gun crimes, including aggravated assault with a firearm.

David E. Most, 60, also is charged with unlawful possession of a handgun without a permit and possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, court and jail records show.

Most was arrested in Lacey following an incident at 3:43 a.m. Sunday, court records show.

The exact nature of the incident is unclear. The Asbury Park Press has requested records and information from township police and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Most was the purported victim of a violent altercation while a committee member in 2014. Then-Deputy Mayor Mark Dykoff was charged with simple assault after Most told police Dykoff, a fellow Republican, had punched him over a difference of opinion involving school board endorsements. That charge was later dismissed, court records show. Dykoff is now a member of the committee.

Most stepped down from the committee at the end of 2014. Township Republicans nominated Nick Juliano as his successor.

Most was freed from the Ocean County Jail in Toms River sometime Monday.

A telephone number listed as Most's had been disconnected.

Alex N. Gecan has covered crime in New Jersey since 2016. His work as a reporter and editor has earned him professional awards in Connecticut, Louisiana and New Jersey for public service, business reporting and features. Contact him at agecan@gannettnj.com or 732-643-4043 or follow him on Twitter @GeeksterTweets.