New Jersey town official blames vengeful cops for DWI bust

A deputy mayor whose southern New Jersey town laid off several police officers amid budget woes says he was targeted for a DWI bust by vengeful cops.

Hamilton Township Deputy Mayor Charles Cain pleaded guilty on Thursday to DWI and refusing a breath test, but now he plans to appeal, his attorney, Louis Barbone, said.

Municipal Court Judge Louis Belasco suspended Cain's license for 10 months and imposed a $562 fine. Cain was ordered to install an ignition interlock breath device on any vehicle he drives for six months and complete a drunken driving course.

Barbone said the appeal will be based on the claim that Cain was targeted by police just three days after announcing looming layoffs for 11 police officers last year. Officers looked up Cain's license plate earlier in the shift before he was stopped last January.

"In a nutshell, it was laying in wait for a politician with whom you seek revenge," Barbone said.

Belasco, however, found the officers to be credible and believable at trial.

Hamilton Township Police Chief Stacy Tappeiner declined to comment on any specific details related to the case, but said "it's time to turn the page" for the department, which employs 49 officers.

"Our organization has received numerous requests from the media to respond to the comments made by the defense over the past year," a statement released by Tappeiner said. "We are an organization of career professional and have instead chosen to remain focused on public safety."

The statement continued: "Every DWI case, this one included, is about preventing drunken driving deaths on our roadways. We must not forget that."

FoxNews.com's Joshua Rhett Miller contributed to this report.