Cop union big in text-threat bust

A TOP POLICE union official has been arrested for sending a threatening text message to his ex-wife in New Jersey, the Daily News has learned.

William Craven, 46, an official with the Sergeants Benevolent Association, was busted by Morris County, N.J., police on April 16.

Craven, the sergeants’ rep for the NYPD’s Housing Bureau, is accused of texting his former spouse, “If you dig a ditch you might lye (sic) in it in my opinion. I’m not judging you. It is what it is,” sources said.

At the time, he was already on desk duty, without his guns and shield, for similar behavior, a police source said.

His former spouse had an order of protection against Craven.

On the day of his arrest, Craven had already been texting her and she had gone to a police station in New Jersey to report it, when she received the incriminating text.

New Jersey cops went to his house in Denville, N.J., to bring him back to the station for a formal interview.

Craven refused, saying he would only come with them if the police returned with a warrant and additional units, sources said. He has been suspended, the NYPD said.

He was charged with disorderly persons contempt — the equivalent of a misdemeanor for violating an order of protection.

The case will be heard in family court, Morris County officials said. The Morris County sheriff’s office did not return a call for comment.

He has also been suspended from his Sergeants Benevolent Association duties, pending the outcome of the case, union president Ed Mullins said.

Craven’s lawyer, David Wallace, said the message did not break the law. “The text is clear. It wasn’t a threat. It wasn’t intended to scare anyone,” he said.