Vet Freehold Cop Convicted of Shoplifting

A veteran Freehold Borough Police Officer faces up to 18 months in State Prison after a Monmouth County Jury convicted him of shoplifting charges. 46-year-old Darnell Esdaile was also ordered to forfeit his $99,402 position after serving on the force for sixteen years.

The jury announced its verdict Thursday after hearing testimony of Esdaile's scheme to steal just under $500 worth of laminate flooring materials from a Freehold Home Depot in 2010 when he was off duty.

Esdaile is free on bail pending a September sentencing date. He's been suspended from the force without pay since his November 2010 arrest.