Keansburg cop heading to prison after committing sex crime on unconscious woman

FREEHOLD - A rookie Keansburg police officer will lose his job and is headed for prison after pleading guilty to attempting to sexually assault an unconscious woman at a friend’s house last year, acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey said Wednesday.

Nicholas Thompson, 25, who was sworn in as a Keansburg patrolman in September and suspended without pay the following month after his arrest in the case, pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted aggravated sexual assault at a hearing before Superior Court Judge Jill O'Malley, Linskey said.

The crime occurred in January 2021, when Thompson was a special law enforcement officer in Keansburg, prior to being sworn in as a full-fledged patrolman. The victim, an adult, was unconscious and incapable of consent at the time, according to a news release issued by Linskey.

An affidavit of probable cause to arrest Thompson revealed the defendant, a friend and the woman, went to the friend’s house on the night of Jan. 23, 2021 after having been at a bar and house party where both Thompson and the victim had been drinking. The woman passed out on the couch and, the following morning, became suspicious when she found her underwear on the floor, the affidavit said.

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She and the friend then watched a Ring surveillance video on which Thompson was seen walking half-naked into the room, climbing on the victim and engaging in sex with her, the affidavit said.

"On Jan. 23, 2021, Nicholas Thompson made the biggest mistake of his life,'' said his attorney, Mitchell Ansell of the Ocean Township law firm Ansell, Grimm and Aaron. "He acted on impulse without regard for anyone's feelings. He is hopeful with his plea and acceptance of responsibility Tuesday, that all of the parties that have been affected by his actions can move on with their lives and put this matter behind them.''

The prosecutor’s office consulted with the victim before reaching a plea agreement with Thompson, Linskey’s news release said.

The plea bargain calls for Thompson to permanently forfeit public office and receive a four-year prison term, the news release said. Thompson will be required to serve 85 percent of the prison term before he can be considered for release on parole, under the state’s No Early Release Act, the news release said. Thompson also will be required to register with police as a sex offender and be under lifetime parole supervision upon his release from prison, the release said.

“Police officers are expected to be held to a higher standard of conduct, on duty and off, and should never bring harm to others,’’ Linskey said. “We feel that this plea agreement provides justice to our victim and renders the appropriate outcome for an inexcusable act. The actions of this defendant do not reflect the diligent efforts of our county’s law enforcement officers, who safeguard and serve their communities each and every day.’’

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The case was handled by Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Falco, director of the prosecutor's Professional Responsibilities and Bias Crime Unit, Linskey said.

Thompson was initially jailed upon his arrest but later released and placed under house arrest. He is scheduled to be sentenced by O’Malley on Nov. 10.

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@app.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ police misconduct: Keansburg cop heading to prison after sex crime