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Khemraj "Chico" Ramchal
Chico Ramchal was a member of the Jersey City City Council in New Jersey, representing Ward B. He was elected to the council in 2013 and resigned in May 2016, after pleading guilty to two charges following a drunk driving accident in March 2015.[1]
Biography
Ramchal was born in Guyana. He attended Saint Peter's College in Jersey City. He was previously employed by the Hudson County Improvement Authority.[2][3]
Noteworthy events
Drunk driving accident (March 14, 2015)
Ramchal was arrested for drunk driving following a three-car collision on March 14, 2015, which led to a charge of assault by auto and a charge of theft of service following an investigation of his vehicle's GPS data. Ramchal has pleaded not guilty to both charges. According to police reports, Ramchal failed a field sobriety test and had a blood alcohol level of 0.15. The legal limit was 0.8.[4][5][6][7]
The vehicle Ramchal was driving at the time was registered to the Jersey City Incinerator Authority. Ramchal used it as an employee of the Hudson County Improvement Authority, where he earned $46,799 annually. The authority fired Ramchal in June 2015 after the examination of the GPS records showed that the councilman's reported work on timesheets did not align with the location of the vehicle. On October 15, 2015, the county charged Ramchal with theft of service.[4][5]
According to NJ.com, sources close to Ramchal indicated the councilman expected to have his drivers license suspended and some form of light punishment. Ramchal's fellow council members did not call for him to resign, and local media remarked on the low degree of public response to the charges brought against the councilman.[8]
In May 2016, Ramchal plead guilty to assault by auto and theft by deception, as well as agreeing to plead guilty to drunken driving. While the prosecutor's office stated it planned to seek probation rather than jail time, the pleas barred Ramchal from holding any public or elected office in the state going forward.[9]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Chico Ramchal 'Jersey City'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Jersey City, "Ramchal," accessed January 13, 2015
- ↑ Jersey City, New Jersey, "City Council: Ward B (West Side)," accessed March 22, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Khemraj Chico Ramchal: About," accessed March 22, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 NJ.com, "Jersey City councilman charged with drunken driving after three-car collision," March 14, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 NJ.com, "Councilman Ramchal DWI police report," March 14, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Hundreds come to Jersey City City Council meeting to protest corruption," July 29, 2009
- ↑ NJ.com, "Jersey City council members open up about colleague accused of DWI," March 23, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Little political fallout for Jersey City councilman hit with DWI charge one year ago," March 14, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Jersey City councilman resigns after guilty pleas related to DWI arrest," May 12, 2016
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Succeeded by John Hallanan III |
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