FREEHOLD – A Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Detective has been criminally charged for trying to engage in sexual acts, as well as sending a lewd picture to a juvenile, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Monday.
Michael Vermeylen, 42, of Oak Ridge (Morris County), is charged with third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child and third-degree Obscenity to Minors.
An investigation was initiated by a Prosecutor’s Office Detective acting in an undercover capacity monitoring the victim’s phone. The investigation revealed that Vermeylen sent inappropriate sexual text messages to the victim, a known acquaintance and Monmouth County resident. The investigation further revealed that Vermeylen expressed his attraction to the juvenile, and sent a naked picture of himself to the victim.
Vermeylen was arrested Friday, February 7, and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending proceedings in Monmouth County Superior Court.
Anyone with information about Vermeylen’s activities is being urged to contact MCPO Detective Anthony Lacher at 800-533-7443.
This case is being prosecuted by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Competello of the MCPO High Tech Bureau. Vermeylen is being represented by Mark Bernstein, Esq., with an office in New Brunswick.
Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.
