OCEAN COUNTY, NJ – A Grand Jury indicted Matthew Curtis, 47, a detective with the Island Heights Police Department, on charges including False Report to Law Enforcement Authorities and Contempt of a Judicial or Protective Order.
Under New Jersey law, it is customary for anyone with a restraining order to surrender their guns to authorities until the matter is resolved.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced the indictment which came after an extensive investigation led by multiple departments. The investigation showed that Curtis was mandated to surrender his firearms following a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued against him on May 11, 2022.
Curtis complied but later falsely claimed to have sold three handguns he was required to surrender.
Contrary to Curtis’s statement, an official trace conducted by the United States Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed that he was still the registered owner of the handguns in question. Further complications arose when Curtis reported these handguns as stolen in December 2022, only for one of them to be recovered in a separate criminal case in Essex County, New Jersey.
Curtis was processed at the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office and released on a summons pending a future court appearance.
He has also been suspended with pay from his role in the Island Heights Police Department.