FREEHOLD — A Neptune police officer allegedly used his police computer to find the home address of a woman he was captivated by while on an assignment at a local elementary school, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago on Thursday.
Officer Joshua A. James, 29, is charged with third-degree computer-related criminal activity, the Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
Earlier this month, James was working a detail outside a local elementary school when he noticed a woman picking up her child. He then looked up her license plate and accessed her home address in two law enforcement databases intended for policing purposes, Santiago said.
The officer then drove to the woman’s home where he made contact with her, asked her if she was single and whether he could have her phone number, the prosecutor said.
James was arrested this week and has been suspended from the Neptune Police Department pending the outcome of the criminal case now against him, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Anyone who may have information about potential misconduct involving the officer is asked to contact Detective Ryan Mahony of the Prosecutor’s Office at 800-533-7443.
Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Falco, director of the Professional Responsibility Unit for the office, is in charge of the case. There was no information Thursday about whether James had retained legal representation.
Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Neptune NJ cop charged with using police computer to find woman