ICYMI: Former Far Hills Police Chief Allegedly Sexted To Officer's Wife, Lawsuit Claims

A lawsuit claims the former chief of police in Far Hills sent sexually explicit text messages to the wife of one of his officers and according to reports, she wasn’t the only one.

Kenneth Hartman, of Denville, is accused of sending messages such as, “Want to have sex with you. I’m serious,” to Detective Jason Shanaphy’s wife last year as he sat alone in his garage, according to My Central Jersey.

This year, Hartman announced he would be retiring in May - around the same time reports say Shanaphy’s attorney prepared to file the complaint in Superior Court.

According to Philly Voice, Hartman claims in one of his messages that his cancer-stricken wife undergoing chemotherapy was to blame for his desires for Shanaphy’s wife.

“The chief’s actions toward Officer Shanaphy and his wife constitute a serious abuse of his public office,” the lawsuit states. “The demand for sexual favors of a subordinate officer’s spouse and accompanying implied threat of adverse treatment of a subordinate employee in the workplace if the demand was not met are the equivalent of quid pro quo sexual harassment, which is prohibited by the Law Against Discrimination.”

To see a full transcript of the alleged text messages, click here.

Hartman’s Linkedin Profile states he began his career in the police department as a Bernards Township Police Department Dispatcher in 1990. By 1992, he moved up the ranks to Patrolman and transferred to the Far Hills Police Department in 2000.

Within three years Hartman was sworn in as Chief of Police of Far Hills, a position he would hold for over ten years.