SCANDALOUS AFFAIR
Sources say police chief’s alleged affair tied to sexual harassment complaint
LAWRENCE » She came from Las Vegas in the spring.
Fromthat point forward, Lawrence Township Police Chief Mark Ubry apparently went out of his way to help her out, multiple sources tell The Trentonian.
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, allege Ubry, who is a married man, was leading a double life with this woman. Once she landed in the Mercer County area, Ubry used his power as chief to allegedly help this woman secure a job at a local college, the sources said. The alleged mistress has been identified by multiple sources as Julie Nance.
Ubry is currently under “administrative investigation” by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office for a sexual harassment complaint brought forth by his secretary.
Sources say the chief’s alleged affair is also connected to Ubry’s sexual harassment complaint at the workplace.
“There has been a steady pattern of his behavior and it has just gotten worse since he moved this woman here from Las Vegas,” one source said Thursday. “Superior officers within the department fear he is having mental issues with how crazy and erratic he’s been.”
When reached for comment Thursday night, Ubry denied any affair.
“I categorically deny any allegations and that’s all I have to say to you,” the police chief said. “I’m a happily married man. The prosecutor’s office is handling this investigation. I have nothing more to say.”
One source alleged Ubry’s paranoia about the affair got so bad that he would follow his secretary around the workplace, even waiting for her outside the bathroom to make sure she would not spill the beans to other co-workers.
Sources said Ubry was also overheard making phone calls at work on Nance’s behalf to help find her a job for several weeks.
Possibly even more troubling, Ubry allegedly enlisted the help of another township employee, who owns a car business on the side, to help get Nance’s vehicle registered in New Jersey since she apparently lost the title. The employee allegedly called the Nevada DMV from Ubry’s office to try to get thematter rectified, sources said.
Sources say Nance also visited the police department on at least one occasion.
“His relationship with other officers in the department has become strained,” a source said. “He picks on people. I don’t know if he thinks they know or he tries to get people out of the way from figuring out. It’s just crazy. It’s drastically affected his behavior.”
bry’s treatment of women has also come under scrutiny.
The chief was hit with a sexual harassment complaint from his secretary, who was transferred to work in the recreation department of the township, while Ubry has been allowed to stay on as chief.
Mercer County First Assistant Prosecutor Doris Galuchie said in an email Thursday that the
probe is “not a criminal investigation.”
“Whenever a law enforcement executive is the subject of an administrative complaint, the investigation goes to the County Prosecutor’s Office, rather than the agency’s internal affairs unit, to avoid any conflict of interest,” Galuchie said.
In August, Ubry was allegedly overheard screaming and yelling at his secretary for a period of time in the office. Other officers heard the encounter, sources said.
“His treatment of other women in the office is inappropriate,” a source said. “The way he talks about women in general is inappropriate. He has a reputation for being crude. In general, he doesn’t have any respect for women.” This is the second sex scandal involving superior officers to rock Lawrence in recent years.
In July 2014, The Trentonian broke the story that Lawrence police Lt. Thomas Ritter and court administrator Meghan Kane were suspended after allegedly getting caught engaging in sexual relations at the township offices, according to multiple sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.
The alleged interoffice affair occurred while the two employees were on duty.
Ultimately, Kane, who was married to a Hamilton police officer, resigned from her position and Ritter was allowed to retire with 20 years of service so he could collect his pension.
Ubry’s latest controversy “doesn’t look good for the town,” a source said.
“He’s just a very inappropriate person and he definitely abuses his power as the chief to be behaving this way,” the source said. “It’s very sad because there are a lot of very good decent officers within the department and they don’t deserve that kind of leadership — nobody does.”