A Brick Township patrolman with eight years on the force risks up to 10 years in prison if convicted of official misconduct. Officer Justin A. Delaney was indicted Wednesday by an Ocean County grand jury in Toms River.

Officer Justin A. Delaney (Brick Township Police Dept.)
Officer Justin A. Delaney (Brick Township Police Dept.)
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Delaney, 33, of Brick, also faces a charge of stalking. He's currently free on $30,000 full bail, according to information from the office of County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato.

Delaney is under suspension without pay. Police Chief Nils Bergquist said that he was removed from duty in June 2013, when the investigation began.

Prosecutors contend that between November 2012 and May 2013, Delaney posted "annoying, humiliating and alarming" messages about an ex-girlfriend on Facebook, Instagram and other social media outlets. Investigators say they traced the accounts to Internet Protocol addresses registered to him.

Delaney allegedly harassed the woman with anonymous calls and texts from a prepaid phone, authorities said.

Delaney used his official status to get a password into a law enforcement database without authorization at the behest of the victim, who sought his help in tracing the source of the calls and messages, investigators said.

After combing the data, Delaney created the impression that the phone was untraceable, investigators said.

The Ocean County High Tech Crimes Unit was instrumental in the probe and the Brick Township PD Office of Internal Affairs cooperated fully, a spokesman for Coronato said.

Official misconduct is a second-degree offense with a sentence, on conviction. of to 10 years, with five years of parole ineligibility. Stalking is a fourth-degree violation with a potential sentence of up to 18 months.

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