Robert William Ray, 66, was arrested in Englewood Cliffs on Tuesday, July 21, on charges of simple assault and terroristic threats, according to Bergen County Jail records. He remained held in the Bergen County Jail as of Wednesday afternoon, July 22.
Officers went to Ray's home to arrest him on the assault charges, but he did not answer the door, Englewood Cliffs Acting Police Chief James Tracy told Daily Voice. An officer saw Ray inside the home, where he had "secreted" himself beneath a staircase, Tracy said. Because there was a possibility Ray had access to a shotgun inside the home, the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team was called to assist, according to the acting chief.
In addition to simple assault and terroristic threats, court records show Ray was charged with fourth-degree obstructing the administration of law by obstructing a criminal investigation, disorderly persons resisting arrest by preventing an officer from effecting an arrest, and being a fugitive from justice.
In the 1990s, Ray headed the Office of Independent Counsel, overseeing investigations into the Whitewater real estate controversy involving President Bill Clinton and then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. He also oversaw the Monica Lewinsky investigation that led to Clinton's impeachment and subsequent acquittal. The Clintons were never charged with crimes in the Whitewater investigation.
Ray had been a partner at Sterlington Law, which has offices in New York, Philadelphia and the Virgin Islands, at the time of his arrest. In a statement emailed to Daily Voice, a Sterlington rep said that Ray is no longer with the company and declined further comment.
Ray's biography on the firm's website describes him as a "seasoned former federal prosecutor and a corporate and white-collar defense litigator."
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