A former New Jersey State Police trooper has pleaded guilty to the attempted sexual assault of a child in the summer of 2024, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Tuesday.

During a hearing held last week before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Henry P. Butehorn, the former trooper, 32-year-old Shane H. Dempsey, pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted sexual assault and third-degree official misconduct stemming from his luring of a teen last summer. 

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.

The case background …

An investigation into this matter was initiated last year by a Prosecutor’s Office Detective acting in an undercover capacity on the social media app Whisper.

While monitoring the app, the detective was contacted by another user, later identified as Dempsey, who attempted 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 female.

Dempsey arrived for a purported meeting with the juvenile in his police-issued vehicle. He was then taken into custody.

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, as well as registration as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and Parole Supervision for Life.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office

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