A local councilman in Morris County, already facing aggravated assault charges, was charged with criminal coercion after authorities say he used his elected position to try to intimidate a business owner from selling liquor to specific people.
Dover councilman Sergio Rodriquez, 29, was charged with fourth-degree criminal coercion after investigators said he identified himself as a councilman in order to intimidate a liquor store owner, officials with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said Friday.
Rodriquez, a first-term Democrat on Dover’s council is accused of entering the liquor store on Oct. 25, 2024 and telling a store employee that the store’s liquor license would not be renewed if it continued selling alcohol to people who were seen drinking in a nearby courtyard, officials said.
