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Christopher Walls, 50, was sentenced on Friday, March 4 by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley, having previously pleaded guilty to causing a risk of widespread injury and for manufacturing drugs.
Walls also permanently forfeited public office, as well as his firearms and firearms ID card, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey.
Police were called to Walls’s home on the 300 block of West End Avenue on May 15, 2021, for a domestic disturbance. While officers were on scene, another resident in the home alleged that Walls was involved in suspicious narcotics activity, Linskey said.
The New Jersey State Police Hazmat Unit responded to the scene and allegedly located materials, chemicals, and instruments consistent with a methamphetamine laboratory in both the basement of the residence and in a shed on the property, Linskey said.
The Unit confirmed that Walls was in possession of ingredients necessary to manufacture methamphetamine, and found meth residue in chemistry-related glassware on-site, the prosecutor said.
A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office’s Professional Responsibility and Narcotics Units and the Long Branch Police Department revealed that Walls had also been in possession of books related to making methamphetamine, explosives, and poison, she said.
Additionally, a large unsecured gun safe was located in the home and was found to be accessible to a child living there. Inside the safe were two long guns, four handguns, eight high-capacity magazines, and a large quantity of ammunition, Liinskey said.
“In manufacturing illegal narcotics out of his home, Officer Walls threatened the safety and security of the very community he swore an oath to protect and serve,” Linskey said. "This former officer’s actions are also a profound disservice to all of the hardworking and dedicated members of law enforcement who work diligently each day to protect their communities with honor.”
The case was handled by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Falco, director of the Office’s Professional Responsibilities and Bias Crime Unit.
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