Lacey Detective Who Captured Escaped Baby Killer Named 'Officer Of The Year'

Arthur Buckel had been missing for six days after he escaped from the Bayside State Prison, putting entire South Jersey towns on alert.

Buckel, 38, who had been at the prison after sentencing on a burglary conviction, was the same man convicted of slapping a 10-month-old Barnegat girl to death on Labor Day weekend in 1995.

Nixel alerts went out. Police guarded public schools. Ocean County towns were especially vigilant, and advised residents to keep their doors locked until he was located. Buckel had made it to Barnegat, then disappeared.

On May 9, Lacey Detective Keith Pearce was assigned to the Garden State Parkway Rest Area in Forked River, along with a member of the New Jersey State Department of Corrections. Pearce was notified that a suspicious man was spotted in the woods near mile marker 76.5 northbound. Pearce responded to the area and took Buckel at gunpoint without incident, Lacey police Chief Michael C. DiBella said.

"Detective Pearce is a knowledgable and well respected officer," the chief said. "He is looked up to by his peers and is known as someone you can talk to. Detective Pearce has an outstanding ability to remain calm and always seems to have a smile on his face."

Pearce was named the Lacey Township Police Department's "Officer of the Year" at the department's first annual awards ceremony at the Lanoka Harbor Fire Department on Dec. 9. He was also recognized for saving a drowning man's life back in 2012.

Other officers who received awards were patrol officers Anthony Sarno, Christopher Meyler, Julie Barcalow, and Scott Keefe, for their actions involving a Nov. 25. residential structure fire on Serpentine Drive in Forked River.

"These Officers, along with members of the Forked River Fire Department, helped save the life of an 81-year-old female who was trapped inside the residence," DiBella said."I couldn't be more proud of everyone involved, including our volunteer firefighters, who truly are an asset to Lacey Township."

Image: Lacey Township Police Department