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Deputy Haddonfield mayor arraigned on charges of assaulting borough police officer

Jeffrey Kasko, deputy mayor of Haddonfield, was arraigned on charges that he struck a borough police officer investigating a crash that occurred when Kasko allegedly tried to flee from a process server trying to deliver divorce papers.

Deputy Haddonfield Mayor Jeff Kasko
Deputy Haddonfield Mayor Jeff KaskoRead more

Haddonfield Deputy Mayor Jeff Kasko was arraigned Tuesday on assault charges for allegedly striking a borough police officer with his car while the officer was investigating a collision involving Kasko and a process server who tried to deliver divorce papers to him.

Kasko, 54, made an initial appearance at a brief hearing in Superior Court in Cherry Hill, where he was read a list of charges stemming from his Feb. 12 arrest. He is accused of aggravated assault on a police officer, assault with a motor vehicle, criminal mischief, and numerous motor vehicle offenses, including reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, and failure to report an accident.

A March 20 date was set for a pre-indictment conference hearing at the Hall of Justice in Camden.

Efforts to reach Kasko for comment Tuesday were unsuccessful. A person who answered the phone at his home declined comment.

The charges against Kasko, a three-term borough commissioner, stem from a confrontation in front of his home, police said. A police officer was sent to his home following a report that Kasko had backed his car out of the driveway, striking a BMW that belonged to the process server. The BMW was partially blocking the driveway and sustained more than $2,000 in damage, police records show.

Kasko left the scene, and the process server called police, authorities said. Kasko was not present when police arrived but returned while Patrolman Joni Frangieh was investigating the hit-and-run, police said.

According to the crash report, obtained by the Inquirer, Kasko was driving “at an unsafe speed all the while, blowing the vehicle horn.” Frangieh was standing in the driveway, and raised his hands and signaled for Kasko to stop, the report said.

Kasko slowed and the officer believed Kasko would come to a complete stop, but he didn’t, the report said. The officer suffered minor injuries when the mirror on Kasko’s 2012 VW Passat struck him on a hip, according to Chief Jason Cutler.

After his arrest, Kasko spent a night in the Camden County Jail.

“It’s a sad situation,” said former Mayor Jack Tarditi on Tuesday. “I feel particularly sorry for his family.”

Kasko, a Republican, is one of three commissioners and was first elected in 2009. The commissioners select the mayor and deputy mayor. In 2013, Kasko was selected by his fellow commissioners to serve as mayor. He is also a commissioner for revenue and finance.