Apr 22, 2007 7:28 am US/Eastern
Police Probe Allegation Against Corzine's Driver
TRENTON (CBS/AP) ―
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A state official says the driver of Gov. Jon S. Corzine's SUV was speeding when it crashed on the Garden State Parkway.
AP
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State Police are investigating whether a trooper was communicating with a girlfriend's estranged husband while driving Gov. Jon S. Corzine on the night of a crash that left the governor seriously injured, according to a published report.
Davy Jones, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association, told The Star-Ledger of Newark that investigators want to know if trooper Robert Rasinski was communicating with the man, either on his phone or with mobile e-mail, while he was driving Corzine, or just before.
State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes confirmed in a statement to The Star-Ledger that the department was "in receipt of an allegation made against Trooper Robert Rasinski and will look further into the matter."
The inquiry will determine whether the accusation plays a role in the accident investigation, or if it should be handled as an internal affairs investigation, Fuentes said.
Efforts by the Associated Press to contact Jones and Rasinski on Saturday were unsuccessful. And Lt. Gerald Lewis, a state police spokesman, would not comment further on the matter.
Corzine broke 11 ribs, his sternum, a leg, collarbone, and a vertebra in the April 12 crash. The governor remained in intensive care at Cooper University Hospital in Camden on Saturday, but has started talking with family members and doctors and is even drinking some clear liquids.
Rasinski suffered minor injuries in the crash and stayed overnight at the hospital. He has been on medical leave since. The trooper has been under scrutiny for allowing the governor to ride without a seat belt, a violation of state law, and for dashing with emergency lights flashing at 91 mph in a 65 mph zone.
Fuentes has previously said a state police review board would decide Rasinski's responsibility, if any, for both his driving speed and Corzine's failure to wear a seat belt.
According to Jones, the head of the troopers union, the new accusation against Rasinski involves an e-mail the girlfriend's estranged husband sent Rasinski about the same time as the crash. Jones, though, insisted that Rasinski couldn't have seen the message.
"I can tell you, they don't get BlackBerrys. Only the supervisors get BlackBerrys," Jones said.
Rasinski has waived privacy rights in the case, and has expressed a willingness for investigators to review his e-mails and phone calls to exonerate himself, Jones said.
Rasinski has been dating a woman whose husband, whom Jones described as a police officer from Union County. The man is bitter about getting divorced and "wants his pound of flesh," Jones said.
"Understandably, it's being investigated," Jones said.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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