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A Monmouth County, NJ grand jury returned a 20-count indictment against Joshua Padilla, 36, for the incidents that spanned three years, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced Monday.
In February 2019, members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Bureau arrested Padilla, of Eatontown, in relation to an investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.
Padilla in March admitted trying to have sex with what he thought was a 14-year-old Pennsylvania child who turned out to be an undercover detective, authorities said.
Padilla -- formerly a Middlesex County Sheriff's officer -- was found in possession of numerous videos of himself performing sexual acts upon women who were clearly unconscious and unresponsive, Linskey said.
He also was found to be in possession of child sexual abuse materials, she said. Many of the crimes took place at the his home in Eatontown, with others occurring in Middlesex County.
The sexual assault charges outlined today relate to three different adult victims and crimes taking place from 2016 into 2018, but investigators continue to seek additional information about Padilla’s activities, the acting prosecutor said.
Padilla was indicted Friday and charged with eight counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, four counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Linskey said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Brian Hammarstrom of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-431-7160, Ext. 6413.
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