Salem Councilman Cody Loatman Faces Mounting Allegations While Still in Power
Cody Loatman Public Facebook Profile Photo & Mugshot
SALEM — Cody Loatman, serves as City Councilman for the West Ward in Salem City, currently helps shape policy in committees tied to public safety, housing, public works, and neighborhood development.
Yet despite holding these positions of public trust, Loatman has amassed a pattern of criminal allegations, civil complaints, and personal misconduct that paints the picture of a public servant with more red flags than qualifications.
His record of legal issues began in 2012, when he was arrested on a warrant and found in possession of cocaine. That early arrest foreshadowed the series of troubling encounters with the law and the public that would follow him into office.
In 2021, Sandra Peart contracted Loatman through his business, Everything Exterior, LLC, to build a backyard deck. After months of delays, unfinished and unsafe work, and repeated rescheduling, the job was left incomplete. Councilman Loatman filed a civil case against Peart to demand the other half of the contracted amount but Peart countersued and reported that tensions escalated when Loatman returned to her home with others to intimidate her. This case was eventually dismissed with prejudice in the summer of 2022 just a year before he was elected as city council member in 2023.
Cody Loatman v Sandra Peart 2021-2022 Case via NJ ECourts
By 2024, the pattern of evasion and misconduct became more public. In May of that year, Loatman was formally evicted from a property owned by landlord Dana Gayner after skipping nine months of rent payments—$800 per month plus all utilities. Gayner was forced to cover over $5,000 and late fees in unpaid utility bills and raised the issue publicly during a Salem City Council meeting. Just months later, in September 2024, Loatman was observed moving into a new home outside of the ward he represents, prompting residents to question his eligibility to remain on council.
Cody Loatman removing Appliances from Dana Gayner’s Property on May 17, 2024
What followed next only intensified the public scrutiny. Gayner alleges that after the eviction, Loatman returned to the property and stole a washer, dryer, and refrigerator, while also damaging the home’s wiring and infrastructure. Security camera footage from neighbors reportedly shows Loatman loading the appliances into his beige Chevy Tahoe, a vehicle that has become infamous in Salem County for his reckless driving. That same vehicle was pulled over on March 15th, 2025, for being unregistered—adding yet another infraction to the list.
Janice Roots in Salem, and Cody Loatman’s Harassment Complaint
The residency concerns were raised publicly by a Salem community member at the June 18, 2024 City Council meeting and sparked action from Salem resident Janice Roots, who visited the city clerk’s office in October 2024 to ask whether Loatman’s move had disqualified him from representing the West Ward. Rather than addressing the concern publicly, Loatman filed a Criminal Harassment complaint with the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office against Janice Roots, a concerned East Ward resident. Both her case and Gayner’s were seen in court on April 11th, 2025. Roots’ case was dismissed the day it was seen. Gayner’s theft and damages case is scheduled to be revisited on June 25 at the Carneys Point-Pennsville Joint Municipal Court.
Dana Gayner and Janice Roots at Carneys Point Township Municipal Building on April 11, 2025
On April 10th, 2025, a civil suit was filed—this time by Bruno Caputo, who claims Councilman Loatman took $10,000 for a roofing job that was never completed. Caputo, like others before him, had contracted Loatman under Everything Exterior, LLC.
Bruno Caputo Case against Cody Loatman (2025) via NJ ECourts
Despite these numerous complaints—spanning theft, property damage, contract fraud, and ongoing questions about his eligibility to serve—Loatman remains in office. He currently holds leadership roles on the Public Works Committee, the Public Safety Committee, the Neighborhood Initiatives and Parks and Recreation Committee, and the Housing Committee.
Cody Loatman being sworn in by Salem City Mayor Jody Veler
For many in Salem, the question isn’t whether Cody Loatman has done wrong—it’s how much wrongdoing an elected official is allowed to rack up before someone steps in. His continued presence in city government is, as one resident put it, “a testament to how much council members can get away with if they go unchecked.”
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