Cop caught with pants down now part of suit claiming Mantua officers doctored records
Members of the Mantua Township Police Department falsified records in an alleged sexual assault case in order to protect an officer who was later terminated, a lawsuit claims.
Filed in Gloucester County Superior Court earlier this month, the suit stems from a Sept. 12, 2021 incident, when Brandon Becker returned to his Mantua home in the early morning hours to find a then-Mantua police officer, Lt. Shaun Butler, in a compromising position with Becker's wife.
The suit alleges Butler confronted Becker, whom the suit says "defended himself." According to the suit, Becker did not know Butler prior to the incident.
Mantua police officers responded to the home and one of them, Salvatore Oldrati, pointed his service weapon at Becker. Becker, the suit says, was then handcuffed and detained in the back of a police car against his will for about 30-45 minutes before being released. No charges were initially filed against Becker.
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The suit also alleges that other officers, all of whom were lower in rank than Butler, used their positions to protect Butler and impede the investigation in various ways.
According to the complaint, Becker went to the municipal building the following day to obtain police reports and body camera footage from the incident but his request was refused, with the township citing an ongoing domestic violence investigation, which the complaint says did not exist.
Sometime after the initial incident, Butler was fired from the police department. He later filed a lawsuit relating to the termination.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office conducted an internal investigation and found that Becker's wife believed she was the victim of a sexual assault because she was too intoxicated to give consent and Butler was sober.
Becker's wife also told investigators Butler threatened her, worried his own wife would find out about the incident, and threatened to press charges against Becker if she pursued the matter. Becker supplied the prosecutor's office with text messages between his wife and Butler to corroborate the the interactions. The investigation also included evidence of several phone conversations between Becker's wife and Butler in days after the incident, as well as with officers in the Mantua Police Department who had access to police reports relating to the incident.
The prosecutor's office cited Butler, saying he "did propose to unlawfully restrict another's freedom of action or to engage or refrain from engaging in conduct, or cause an official to take or withhold action," but did not bring any additional charges against him.
According to Becker's lawsuit, Mantua Township Police Chief Darren White coerced officers to change the report for the initial incident in order to prevent public access to the police report and other information. The suit also alleges that White did not contact the prosecutor's office about the incident, nor did he view body camera footage, despite an obligation to do so.
The suit names the township, the police department, White and five officers, including Butler and Oldrati, among the defendants.
Becker is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as legal fees.
Phaedra Trethan has been a reporter and editor in South Jersey since 2007 and has called the region home since 1971. Contact her at ptrethan@gannettnj.com, on Twitter @wordsbyPhaedra, or by phone at 856-486-2417.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Suit alleges Mantua police falsified records to protect fellow officer
