FREEHOLD – A New Jersey State Police Trooper has been charged for trying to have sex with a minor as well as seeking sexual images, officials said.
Shane H. Dempsey, 31, of Brick, is charged with second-degree Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child via Permitting the Child to Engage in the Production of Child Sexual Abuse Materials, second-degree Attempted Engaging in Prostitution, second-degree Attempted Luring, second-degree Attempted Sexual Assault, and third-degree Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child via Sexual Conduct.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s began investigation earlier this year after a detective went undercover on the social media app Whisper.
While monitoring the app, the detective was contacted by another user, later identified as Dempsey, who attempted to solicit sexually explicit images and expressed a desire to pay money in exchange for a sex act from a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.
As a result, Dempsey was taken into custody without incident in Ewing (Mercer County) and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending future proceedings in Monmouth County Superior Court.
The Prosecutor’s Office thanks the New Jersey State Police Office of Professional Standards, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, and Brick Township Police Department for assisting in this investigation and/or arrest.
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.
