Ex-councilman begins serving jail sentence

Former Jamesburg Councilman Thomas Bodall has begun serving a prison term in connection with allegations that he initiated sexually explicit dialogue on the Internet with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

Bodall, 24, began his jail sentence last week at the Bergen County jail in Hackensack, and is expected to serve up to 120 days, according to his attorney, Jef Henninger of New Brunswick. He will also serve four years' probation and will have to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law.

Bodall, who was Jamesburg's volunteer historian and webmaster, became the youngest Borough Council member in the town's history when he was appointed to fill a vacant seat in April 2007, and he was elected later that year to continue serving.

He resigned from his council position after being arrested last September on charges that he engaged in conversations via chat room and instant messaging with the presumed girl, who was actually an investigator from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Computer Crimes Unit. He was also accused of transmitting pictures of his exposed genitals on several occasions.

Initial charges of attempted endangering the welfare of a minor and distributing obscene material to a minor were reduced as part of a plea agreement with the Prosecutor's Office. In February, Bodall pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted criminal sexual contact.

Though the plea deal called for a prison term of 364 days, Henninger argued successfully for a lighter sentence, based on Bodall's background and his record of community service.

"Some people are different than the rest. He's not the typical person that engages in this type of behavior. He's not a pedophile," Henninger said. "He had some issues, and sometimes issues in life cause people to do hard things."

Other than the incident for which he was convicted, Bodall was "a pillar of the community," his attorney said.

"He's a great guy. A lot of people recognize that and still believe that," Henninger said, noting that people who hear such allegations tend to believe "the person is a monster." He said it is difficult to argue against such a perception in court, but he was thankful that the judge recognized that Bodall is "a good person."