A Pleasantville woman accused of stealing hours while working payroll for the Atlantic City Police Department has had her criminal case dismissed.

Suzanne Ricketts, now 46, was set to go on trial Monday, nearly five years after she was charged with third-degree theft by deception.

In 2023, she was indicted with additional charges of official misconduct and computer crimes.

“While probable cause exists to support the charges, the State is declining to continue prosecution at this time in the interest of judicial efficiency,” reads the motion to dismiss signed by Assistant Prosecutor Jasmine Ostrow and First Assistant Prosecutor Erik Bergman, and approved by Superior Court Judge Ralph Paolone.

Ricketts, who was suspended without pay, has maintained her innocence throughout the years, refusing plea deals and pushing for trial, attorney Durann Neil said.

The Pleasantville woman was doing her job as senior payroll clerk when she went in and changed hours in the then-new system, Neil explained.

“Suzanne Ricketts should never have been charged,” he said. “For years she carried the weight of accusations built on a broken payroll system and assumptions that could not withstand scrutiny. We were fully
prepared to try this case — and the state chose to dismiss it with prejudice rather than put its
evidence in front of a jury.

“Ms. Ricketts leaves exactly as she entered public service — with her integrity intact,” he added.

Ricketts should beable to get her job back, Neil said, noting that there is still the civil suit she filed against the city to address.

“But the dismissal with prejudice eliminates any argument that they have she had any crimninal intent or criminal actions,” Neil said.

Ricketts was one of two employees charged at the time.

Retired Police Officer Gregory Ingrum was working as a Class III officer in the city’s surveillance center, but was clocking in and out of work when he was shown to be elsewhere, including out of state..

But while Ingrum was clocking in and out of work, he allegedly was rarely on the job. He was fired from the position.

He entered into pretrial intervention in 2023, and his record was cleared upon its successful completion.