Haag faces misconduct
charges in indictment
BY JOHNDUNPHY
Staff Writer

Former Middlesex County Road Supervisor Alan Haag was indicted Aug. 25 on charges of third-degree misconduct.

The indictment, handed down by a grand jury in New Brunswick, alleges Haag, 50, committed official misconduct by using official county computers to solicit sex from a woman and her two preteen daughters. It also alleges he used an official county vehicle to drive to Pennsylvania to meet with the woman and her children.

A Sayreville resident, Haag was employed as Middlesex County roads supervisor when he was arrested May 27, 2003.

According to officials, he had met the woman in an Internet chat room titled "Family Fun" and had arranged to meet the woman and her daughters for sex in exchange for a sum of $300.

The woman in question was an undercover police officer involved in a sting operation designed to combat child sexual exploitation on the Internet.

Haag pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania to a charge of attempted rape and was sentenced June 22. He was sentenced to at least one year in jail to be served over 49 consecutive weekends at the George W. Hill Corrections Facility, Thornton, Pa.

After incarceration, he faces parole for one year, followed by probation for 10 years. Under Megan’s Law, he must also register as a sex offender in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The third-degree official misconduct charge carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a $15,000 fine.

Joseph Benedict, the attorney representing Haag, said the indictment was expected.

He said Haag is currently undergoing treatment. When not serving his weekend jail sentence, Haag is monitored via an electronic tracking device.

"It’s very intense," Benedict said of the treatment. "He’s involved in several different modalities with different psychologists and psychiatrists and family counseling."

Arraignment on the misconduct charge is scheduled for Sept. 17 in state Superior Court, New Brunswick. Benedict said he hopes the matter can be resolved quickly. He said he is seeking a probationary sentence that accommodates the therapy program Haag is currently in.

"I thought the judge in Pennsylvania had fashioned a very intelligent sentence," Benedict said. "It balanced the need for some punishment with the recognition that [Haag] is in a very good rehabilitation program."

Benedict said it would do no good to anyone to interrupt the program.

"We’re hopeful a judge here will see the wisdom of that kind of approach and will continue with the program," he said.