A New Jersey state trooper faces multiple charges after allegedly shooting and killing his dog, fleeing his home, vandalizing a stop sign, and assaulting a local police officer.
Authorities arrested Alexander Lark early Thursday in Wayne Township. He is charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He also faces a municipal violation for discharging a firearm. Animal cruelty charges are pending.
Residents at Lark’s condo complex called police at 12:55 a.m., reporting a disturbance and a possible gunshot. Officers responded to the scene while others leaving the township’s police headquarters found a man acting erratically in the parking lot. The man, later identified as Lark, was destroying a stop sign. Officers attempted to calm him, but he allegedly shoved one of them before being subdued and arrested. Authorities transported him to a hospital for evaluation.
An affidavit of probable cause states that Lark appeared to be under the influence of an unidentified substance.
Police later confirmed Lark was the resident involved in the condo disturbance. Inside his home, officers found his dead dog next to his Glock 43 service handgun. The New Jersey State Police Internal Affairs Division was notified of the incident. The agency has not responded to requests for comment.
Lark remains under investigation as authorities review the circumstances leading to the incident.
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