Former Manville Police Chief Sentenced For Sex Assault Of Employees

MANVILLE, NJ — Former Manville Police Chief Thomas Herbst of Bridgewater was sentenced to seven years in state prison on multiple charges stemming from the sexual assault of multiple subordinate women employees both inside and outside the workplace.

Herbst, 57, of Bridgewater, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Peter J. Tober on Monday to seven years in state prison on each of the four counts of official misconduct — one count of pattern of official misconduct, one count of sexual assault (all second-degree crimes), and one count of criminal sexual contact (fourth-degree).

Additionally, Herbst was sentenced to one year in state prison on the criminal sexual contact charge. All charges are to run concurrently with one another.

Herbst was previously convicted on the charges by a jury on Feb. 13.

*Warning the below description of the crimes may be triggering to some people*

According to the evidence presented at trial, Herbst engaged in unwanted sexual behavior toward at least three women.

Starting in 2008, coercively and without consent, Herbst groped, exposed himself to, and sexually harassed an employee of the police department.

Over the next 13 years, Herbst's conduct escalated to violent sexual assault on the primary victim. The attacks often happened while he and the victim were on duty, and many of the attacks took place in police headquarters, according to authorities.

In 2016 and 2017, Herbst reportedly solicited sexual favors from the wife of one of his subordinate officers in order for that officer to receive favorable employment decisions and opportunities, including demanding oral sex from the employee's wife in exchange for a promotion.

In another incident, Herbst reportedly demanded sexually explicit photos of a different subordinate's wife in exchange for a schedule change.

The jury further convicted Herbst for viewing pornographic websites from his borough-issued computer in his office at police headquarters.

Finally, the jury convicted Herbst of violating several Manville Police Department policies by retaining a Chief's badge and identifying himself as the Chief of Police in order to get himself out of a traffic violation following his suspension.

The investigation was conducted by OPIA and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

Previous Reporting:

• Manville Police Chief Convicted Of Sex Assault Of Employees
• Manville Police Chief Charged With Sex Assault, Preyed On Officers' Wives: AG
• NJ Police Chief Accused Of Rape, Sex Assault Of Employee Over 13 Years: Lawsuit
• Manville Police Chief, Accused Of Rape, Faces New Charges

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