Former NJ State Trooper Admits To Attempted Sex Assault Of Minor: Prosecutor

FREEHOLD, NJ — A former NJ State Police Trooper has admitted to attempting to arrange a sexual encounter with a child in Freehold last summer, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said.

During a hearing held last week before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Henry Butehorn, prosecutors said Shane Dempsey, 32, of Brick, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault and to official misconduct.

An investigation into the matter was initiated in 2024 by a Prosecutor’s Office detective who went undercover on the social media app “Whisper.”

While monitoring the app, the detective was contacted by another user (later identified as Dempsey), who tried to solicit sexually explicit images and expressed a desire to pay money in exchange for a sex act from a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, Santiago said.

Dempsey arrived for a purported meeting with the girl in his police-issued vehicle, prosecutors said. He was subsequently taken into custody.

During last week’s hearing, Judge Butehorn executed an order forfeiting Dempsey’s public position and barring him from future public employment in New Jersey for life.

Sentencing in the case has been tentatively scheduled for Friday, Nov. 21, at which time the state intends to recommend a term of seven years in state prison, including two years of parole ineligibility and registration as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and Parole Supervision for Life.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Competello of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Bureau. Dempsey is being represented by Thomas Huth, Esq.

Previous Coverage

• NJ State Trooper From Brick Sought Sex From Teen Girl, Prosecutor Says