FREEHOLD, N.J. — A Bergen County Sheriff’s Office detective has been arrested and charged with sending explicit messages and a nude photo to a juvenile, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Monday.
Michael Vermeylen, 42, of Oak Ridge, Morris County, faces charges of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree obscenity to minors.
Authorities say the investigation began when a Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office detective, working undercover, monitored the victim’s phone. Investigators determined that Vermeylen, a known acquaintance of the juvenile, sent sexually explicit text messages, expressed his attraction, and sent a nude photo of himself.
Vermeylen was taken into custody on Friday, February 7, and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, where he is being held pending court proceedings.
The case is being prosecuted by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Competello of the High Tech Bureau. Vermeylen is represented by attorney Mark Bernstein of New Brunswick.
Anyone with information regarding Vermeylen’s actions is urged to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Anthony Lacher at 800-533-7443.
