‘Not guilty' pleas for Pt. Pleasant detective accused of shoplifting
BRICK - Standing in court Thursday during a pre-trial conference, Point Pleasant Police Detective Joshua Gunnell and his attorney entered "not guilty" pleas to all charges, including the four newest shoplifting complaints.
The final pre-trial conference before Brick Municipal Court Judge Joseph D. Grisanti will pick up after the 30-day adjournment requested by Francis Hodgson, Gunnell's attorney.
Gunnell, 41, was arrested on June 25 and suspended after he was caught shoplifting more than $200 worth of items from the Walmart store on Route 88, according to police documents.
On July 27, four more shoplifting charges were filed against Gunnell in two separate incidents. All four were disorderly persons offenses, not indictable crimes.
In both, Gunnell drew the shoplifting charges of under-ringing and concealing value of less than $200, according to police documents. One incident happened on June 4 and the other on June 15, according to online municipal court records. Both incidents occurred in Brick, but the records provide no information on what was stolen or from what store.
His June 25 arrest came after store surveillance footage captured him at a self-checkout machine removing several items from his shopping cart while only scanning one of the items for payment, according to an affidavit of probable cause attached to the complaint.
When a store employee stopped him and scanned the missed items, Gunnell completed the transaction and paid, but left numerous items that he didn't pay for concealed under reusable shopping bags in the top shelf of his shopping cart when he left the store, the affidavit said.
In the June 25 incident, the stolen items were described as "miscellaneous groceries and health care products" valued at $212.12, according to the complaint. The charge of shoplifting items worth more than $200 but less than $500 is a fourth-degree offense, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 18 months, although first-time offenders frequently avoid jail time.
Public records indicate Gunnell is a 14-year veteran of the Point Pleasant Police Department, who earned a base salary of $141,840 last year. He was promoted to sergeant in 2020.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Gunnell was suspended with pay upon his arrest, pending the outcome of the case.
Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com
Additional reporting by Kathleen Hopkins and Ken Serrano.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Trial adjourned for Pt. Pleasant detective accused of shoplifting
