Lakewood Police Officer Charged with Misconduct

Lakewood Police Officer Jeremy Felder is suspended without pay after being charged with misconduct by investigators with Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato's office.

Information in a joint statement by Coronato and Lakewood Police Chief Robert Lawson  indicates that Felder's bail was set at $15,000.

The probe stems from an allegedly illegal search of a vehicle in which Felder is believed to have taken part in August 2013, which resulted in a drug seizure, authorities said. He is also accused of falsifying documents related to the search.

According to authorities, the charges originally leveled against the occupants inside the vehicle have been dropped.

Misconduct is a second-degree offense, which carries a prison term of five to 10 years on conviction.

Felder joined the Lakewood Police Department in August 2011.