Latest news with #MonmouthCountyProsecutor'sOffice
Yahoo
4 days ago
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Englishtown police chief pleads guilty, barred from public employment
ENGLISHTOWN -- Police chief Peter S. Cooke has resigned after pleading guilty to illegally accessing a law enforcement database for non-law enforcement purposes. He will enter the state's Pretrial Intervention Program, which provides first-time offenders a path to dismiss all charges if the offenders complete a list of conditions set by the court. Cooke was arrested on November 1, 2024, according to the complaint. On May 19, Cooke submitted his resignation through his attorney. It came after a 'Public Employment Forfeiture Order' by Judge Natalie Watson, according to the May 28 Englishtown resolution. Christopher Swendeman, Monmouth County Public Information Officer, wrote that as part of the order, Cooke is 'forever disqualified from holding any other office or position of honor, trust, or profit under this State or any of its administrative or political subdivisions.' Howell: SWAT operation turns into a death investigation Neither Cooke nor his attorney responded to requests for comment. According to the accusation, Cooke was charged with 'one count of third-degree Computer Criminal Activity.' On August 24, 2023, he accessed the Spillman Flex Law Enforcement Database 'for a non-law enforcement purpose, contrary to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-25(a),' a state law that prohibits such actions. According to the complaint, Cooke looked up individuals by the initials of 'M.M. and/or M.A.' between February 14, 2019 and August 24, 2023. In April 2024, Cooke was placed on paid administrative leave. Between August and September 2024, Cooke agreed to help another person 'M.M.' shoplift in Marlboro, according to the complaint. Stolen groceries were found during the investigation. Cooke was arrested in November 2024 and Englishtown suspended him without pay. Point Pleasant Beach: Municipal judge suspended for 2 months over 'biased' Facebook posts In May, he pleaded guilty to the computer crimes. When asked if the shoplifting charges were dropped, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office did not address those charges, pointing only to the charge of computer crime activity. Cooke has been involved in a lawsuit filed by former borough clerk Gretchen McCarthy. According to that lawsuit, McCarthy claimed she was fired for raising questions about borough activity – in particular, the police department's finances. In a response to the complaint, Cooke denied the allegations of unlawful conduct and retaliation. Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@ This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Jersey town's police chief pleads guilty, resigns from office
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
Manchester High School teacher charged with sexual assault of a student 13 years ago
MANCHESTER — A Manchester High School social studies teacher has been charged with sexual assault, accused of having a months-long sexual relationship with one of his female students 13 years ago, according to police documents. Ryan T. Ramsay, 45, of West Creek, was arrested late last month and charged with sexual assault stemming from "numerous acts of sexual penetration'' on a pupil over whom he had supervisory or disciplinary power in his role as a teacher, a criminal complaint said. The alleged sexual acts occurred on "numerous occasions'' between Feb. 15, 2012, and June 30, 2012, when the victim was 17 and a senior at the high school, police documents said. It was unclear why charges are just now being brought against Ramsay. Detective Jason Apaza of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and Manchester Detective Victoria Guarino took a statement from the victim on Feb. 7 at the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center. During the interview, the former student told the detectives she had a sexual relationship with one of her teachers when she was a senior at Manchester High School, according to an affidavit of probable cause to charge Ramsay. She said she first began communicating with Ramsay outside of school while playing the online word game "Words With Friends,'' the affidavit said. Around January of 2012, their conversations turned flirtatious, the affidavit said. The relationship escalated to a sexual one around Feb. 15, 2012, continuing through the end of the school year, the document said. Sexual acts occurred in a bathroom at the high school and at Ramsay's apartment in Seaside Heights, the affidavit said. Several former classmates and their siblings gave statements to police corroborating the victim's story of a sexual relationship with Ramsay, the affidavit said. Ramsay's employment status following his arrest was unclear. A 17-year veteran of the Manchester school district, his annual salary is listed in public records as $84,626. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office was assigned the case by the state Attorney General's Office. Kathleen Hopkins, a reporter in New Jersey since 1985, covers crime, court cases, legal issues and just about every major murder trial to hit Monmouth and Ocean counties. Contact her at khopkins@ This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Manchester High teacher charged in 2012 sex assault of former pupil
