New Jersey Official Misconduct Lawyer October 29, 2010

New Jersey Official Misconduct Lawyer

A suspended Camden Police officer from Monroe Township was indicted by a grand jury in Camden County on charges of official misconduct and falsifying or tampering with records. Shane Sampson of Williamstown, was indicted on one count of 2nd degree official misconduct and one count of 4th degree falsifying or tampering with records. Sampson was originally charged and arrested in April 2010 and was released on his own recognizance.

He is accused of abusing his position as a police officer by signing a complaint with the Camden Police Department on Dec. 23, 2009, that led to his ex-wife’s arrest for interference with custody. She was in Florida with their toddler-aged daughter at the time the warrant was issued. A court-ordered custody agreement permitted her to take their daughter to Florida until Dec. 22. But she had allegedly informed Sampson that due to an injury she sustained while away, she would not be able to return to New Jersey until Dec. 28.

Interference with custody matters are typically addressed in Family Court, or on rare occasions, with a summons to appear in criminal court. It is alleged it was improper for Sampson to seek an arrest warrant in this matter. In addition, neither Sampson nor his wife lived in Camden. The Camden Police Department had no jurisdiction over the charge filed by Sampson. Sampson personally travelled to the Atlantic City Airport to ensure that his ex-wife was detained by New Jersey State Police on Dec. 28 as she disembarked from a plane with her young child. She was then arrested and transferred to the Camden Police Department. In total, she was in custody approximately eight hours before being released. The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office later reviewed the complaint signed by Sampson and dismissed the charges as unfounded.

Sampson’s ex-wife signed a complaint with the Internal Affairs Unit of the Camden Police Department shortly after the incident. Sampson has been suspended without pay from the city police force pending the outcome of the case.

Story is here.