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Shane Dempsey, 31, of Brick Township, was arrested in Ewing on Monday, July 1, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release. Investigators said Dempsey contacted an undercover detective on the social media app Whisper earlier in 2024.
Prosecutors said Dempsey asked for "sexually explicit images" from the detective, who he thought was a 14-year-old girl. He also said he would pay money for a sex act from the teen.
Dempsey was charged with second-degree attempted endangering the welfare of a child via permitting the child to engage in the production of child sexual abuse materials, second-degree attempted engaging in prostitution, second-degree attempted luring, second-degree attempted sexual assault, and third-degree attempted endangering the welfare of a child via sexual conduct.
Dempsey was held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution to await a court appearance. State police, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, and Brick Township police helped Monmouth authorities in the investigation.
A state police spokesperson told Daily Voice that Dempsey was suspended without pay and has been a trooper since June 2017. They declined to comment further because of pending litigation.
Anyone with information about Dempsey should call the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office at 800-533-7443.
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