Sussex County Republican Chairman Joseph LaBarbera was arrested on Saturday on gun-related charges.
The incident occurred around 2 PM on Saturday afternoon, and police arrested him at his home a few hours later.
A former decorated veteran, LaBarbera is accused of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, endangering a child by a non-caretaker, aggravated assault with a firearm, and unjustified display of a gun by a gun permit carrier.
Three Republican legislators and the five Republican county commissioners representing Sussex County said LaBarbera should take a leave of absence while he focuses on the allegations against him.
“For the good of the party, we believe the chairman should focus on this serious legal and personal matter, step aside, and allow the vice chair to temporarily lead the party and let the county committee make the best long-term decision,” said State Sen. Parker Space (R-Wantage), Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia (D-Franklin), Assemblyman Michael Inganamort (R-Chester) and Commissioners Jill Space, Jack DeGroot, Chris Carney, Alan Henderson and David Silverthorne in a joint statement.
Vice Chairman Billy Marrotta would take over as acting chairman if LaBarbera steps down temporarily.
LaBarbera began his military career as an enlisted Marine before earning a commission as a Marine officer. He served in Kosovo and NATO operations, then transferred to the Army Infantry after 9/11 to deploy to Afghanistan. He held combat, advisory, and leadership positions across multiple deployments and ultimately served as Command Inspector General at the Army’s National Training Center.
He was elected Sussex County GOP chairman in 2023 after Jerry Scanlan stepped down after eight years in office. LaBarbera defeated Candice Smith by seven votes, 66 to 59. Last year, he was re-elected with 70% of the vote, 63-27, against former County Commissioner Earl Schick.