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Ruben Morales, who worked at the state prison in Newark, had also been accused of hiding a food truck business he worked on the side.
All of the accusations were recently nullified, however, with the dismissal of a state indictment that had been filed against him.
Morales, a correctional officer for nearly 20 years, had publicly professed his innocence since the announcement of the indictment in early 2021.
Things finally changed last month, when a Superior Court judge in Newark approved the state Attorney General’s Office’s request for dismissal.
Investigators had failed to record their interview with Morales, among other missteps, authorities explained in court records. Morales said he also wasn’t told he was under arrest for nearly two hours and, when he finally was, wasn’t read his Miranda rights.
Superior Court Judge Verna G. Leath ordered the indictment against Morales dismissed with prejudice, which prevents the state from refiling the same charges against him, according to court records.
The state Department of Corrections had suspended Morales from his job in the maximum security unit at Northern State Prison -- across from Newark Airport -- pending the outcome of the case.
Morales is now expected to resume his pursuit of a medical retirement while seeking reimbursement for the pay he lost during the ordeal.
He also still has an active civil rights lawsuit against the state, the DOC and the prison alleging retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other wrongdoing.
Morales said he’d been out of work for 16 months with a severe back injury (an inmate who escaped his cell through a broken door had beaten him) when what he thought would be a discussion about the retirement turned into his arrest in August 2020.
Morales argued that he’d left the “Thug Riders” and “Thunderguards” motorcycle clubs in 2017, when he and another correctional officer bought the food truck. He said he’d always been open about his membership in the groups.
Morales said he’d also complied with requirements to disclose the food truck business and avoid any activity that could reinjure him while he was out on workers’ comp.
Morales said eventually lost the business and had to be temporarily hospitalized after the stress became too much to handle.
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