Crime & Safety

Sex Trafficking Suspect A Former Cop In New Jersey, Police Say

Vancouver, WA, resident James Keenan was reportedly a police officer in Middletown, New Jersey, for nearly 30 years.

BEAVERTON, OR — Police officials in Middletown, New Jersey, on Friday confirmed the child sex trafficking suspect awaiting extradition for trial in Oregon is also a former police officer.

On Thursday, Patch reported the federal grand jury indictment of James Keenan of Vancouver, Washington, following a month-long investigation into child sex trafficking.

Keenan, 47, was arrested in Hazlet, New Jersey, on Wednesday and charged with sex trafficking of a child, attempted sex trafficking of a child, and attempted enticement. He is expected to stand trial in federal court in Portland.

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On Friday, Patch editor Carly Baldwin learned from Middletown police spokesman Lt. Paul Bailey that Keenan "worked as a patrolman with the Middletown Twp. Police Department for nearly 30 years … His dates of employment were August 15, 1990 until his retirement on August 1, 2016."

The Beaverton Police Department and FBI Child Exploitation Task Force will continue investigating this case, according to Beaverton police spokesman Jeremy Shaw.

Find out what's happening in Beavertonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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