Ex-Howell police chief gets probation for lying about extramarital affair with underling

FREEHOLD - In a steep fall from grace, former Howell police chief Andrew Kudrick walked out of court Friday a convicted felon, on probation for lying during an investigation about an affair he was having with a onetime subordinate.

Superior Court Judge Paul X. Escandon placed Kudrck, 50, on probation for two years for the crime of obstruction of justice, to which the former top cop pleaded guilty in May .

"You can't avoid the fact Mr. Kudrick was the chief of police in Howell Township," Escandon said. "People looked up to him for law and order, and he breached that trust."

Kudrick, who earned $234,092 a year in 2021, permanently forfeited any right to public employment when he entered his guilty plea in May.

He abruptly resigned in 2022 as he came under investigation for having an affair with a subordinate.

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The following year, the state Attorney General's Office of Public Integrity brought criminal charges against him for lying during that probe.

In a sentencing brief filed on Kudrick's behalf, "the argument is that he had to choose between saving his marriage and protecting his job, and that's simply not the case, your honor," Assistant Attorney General Andrew Wellbrook told the judge.

"His wife was fully aware of what was happening," Wellbrook said. "That's how this investigation began, when she confronted the other individual at a bar.

"… Here, you have a chief of police, the person who is supposed to be the beacon of law and order, and that is the individual who sits before you today — a chief of police who went in and violated his oath and lied," the assistant attorney general continued. "That is the ultimate breach of public trust."

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Kudrick's attorney, Robert A. Honecker Jr., said while his client's wife may have known about the affair, Kudrick was worried about the embarrassment and humiliation he would face if the community also found out about it.

Kurdrick did what many other people have done in similar circumstances — "he did not tell the truth," Honecker said.

"I'm not saying it's a justification, but Andrew Kudrick is not the first person to lie or not tell the truth about having an affair," the defense attorney said.

Honecker said Kudrick served honorably in law enforcement for 27 years, starting out as a police dispatcher and working his way up to chief of the department. At one point, Kudrick also served as president of the Monmouth County Police Chiefs Association, Honecker said.

"He is now a convicted felon," Honecker said. "The consequences of that are tremendous."

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Honecker asked the judge to impose the minimum term of probation — one year.

"Except for this one mistake that he made, he's a man of character, he's a man of integrity, and he's human," the defense attorney said of his client.

When asked if he wished to address the court before he was sentenced, Kudrick responded, "He accurately described everything how I feel."

Kathleen Hopkins, a reporter in New Jersey since 1985, covers crime, court cases, legal issues and just about every major murder trial to hit Monmouth and Ocean counties. Contact her at khopkins@app.com .

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ex-Howell police chief gets probation for lying about extramarital affair with underling