Prosecutor: New Jersey police officer wanted sex and explicit pictures of teenager

A New Jersey state trooper was arrested for attempting to arrange a sexual encounter with a person he believed was a 14-year-old girl and obtaining sexually explicit images from her, Monmouth County District Attorney Raymond Santiago said.

In reality, the suspect, Shane Dempsey, was recruiting a detective who had posed as a teenager as part of an initiative launched by the district attorney’s office earlier this year.

Santiago said Dempsey contacted the undercover officer through Whisper, a social media app that allows users to anonymously post and share photos and videos. The officer then demanded explicit images and offered the fake teen money for sex, according to a statement from prosecutors Tuesday.

Dempsey was arrested Monday in Ewing and booked into the Monmouth County Jail. He is charged with attempted second-degree endangerment of a child by allowing a child to produce child sexual abuse material; attempted second-degree prostitution; attempted second-degree luring; attempted second-degree sexual assault; and attempted third-degree endangerment of a child by sexual conduct.

Four of the five charges carry a maximum sentence of five to ten years in prison, while the fifth charge – attempted endangerment of a child through sexual conduct – is punishable by five years in prison.

“The District Attorney’s Office thanks the New Jersey State Police Office of Professional Standards, the Ocean County District Attorney’s Office and the Brick Township Police Department for their assistance in this investigation and/or arrest,” Santiago said.

Dempsey was suspended without pay after his arrest, NJ.com reported. He has been a state trooper since 2017.