Man charged with parking meter thefts

IRVINGTON, N.J., June 19 (UPI) -- A man who formerly worked as a civilian aide to police in Irvington, N.J., has been charged with stealing more than $30,000 in coins from parking meters.

New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram and state Criminal Justice Director Gregory Paw said Rodney Dennis was indicted by a state grand jury Wednesday. Dennis, 52, was charged with second-degree official misconduct and third degree theft after he allegedly failed to make "the required disposition of property," the Star-Ledger newspaper of New Jersey reported Thursday.

Dennis' duties as a civilian aide with the Irvington Police Department included emptying parking meters and depositing the coins in a police bank account. However, he allegedly deposited more than $30,000 in parking meter coins into his own account between Jan. 21 and Dec. 9, 2006.