Prosecutor: Former Police Officer Gets 4 Years for Sexual Assault of Unconscious Woman

A former area police officer has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to the 2021 sexual assault of an unconscious woman, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Tuesday.

Nicholas Thompson, 26, formerly a police officer with the Keansburg Police Department, must serve a minimum of 85 percent of the four-year prison term before the possibility of parole under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act (NERA), in accordance with guidelines set down by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley.

He will also be required to register as a sex offender under the provisions of Megan’s Law, be subject to parole supervision for life, and permanently forfeit all prospects of future public employment in New Jersey.

“Sworn members of law enforcement are rightfully held to a higher standard of conduct, on the job and off,” Prosecutor Santiago said. “When they fall so short of that standard that their conduct becomes criminal, we then have a solemn obligation and responsibility to step in and ensure that they
are held fully accountable.”

The case background …

Thompson, who was sworn in as a patrolman in Keansburg last year, was a SLEO (Special Law Enforcement Officer) Type II at the time of the crime. He was arrested and charged in October of 2021. Thompson’s plea agreement to second-degree attempted aggravated sexual assault was reached in May, after consultation with the victim.

During his plea, Thompson admitted that he attempted to have sex with the victim while she was unconscious and incapable of consent. This incident occurred in January of 2021 at a private residence, while Thompson was off-duty.

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