Middlesex County Sheriff's Officer Charged With Weapons Offenses

A Middlesex County sheriff’s officer, charged earlier this week with assault, has now been charged with two weapons offenses after an assault rifle and nine magazine clips were seized from his home, authorities said.

Neil Raciti, 47, of Milltown was charged with possession of an assault weapon and possession of a high-capacity magazine, according to a news release issued Friday by Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Milltown Police Chief Raymond Geipel.

Although the trigger mechanism had been removed from an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle found in Raciti’s home, he was charged because he failed to properly register that gun with police, the news release said.

It is illegal to possess assault rifles in New Jersey, but there was a period between May 30, 1990 and May 30, 1991 in which owners could lawfully keep those guns if they registered them with police as target rifles or rendered them inoperative, the news release said.

The nine magazine clips were loaded and could be used to load the rifle, authorities said.

Raciti is also a Milltown Township Council member.

Earlier this week, Raciti was charged with third-degree aggravated assault, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

He assaulted someone in Milltown, shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday and that person sustained a fracture, the Prosecutor’s Office said.

He was off-duty at the time, and the incident was not connected to his job, authorities said.

The victim was treated at St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick and was released, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any other information about that case, but NJ.com reported the victim sustained a fractured elbow.

The Middlesex County Sheriff Office told NJ.com that Raciti was suspended from his job after his arrest on the assault charge.

After that charge was filed against him, he was released on his own recognizance. After his arrest on the weapons charges, Raciti was released on bail set at $25,000, with an option to post 10 percent.