Long Branch police officer arrested and charged with aggravated assault
A Long Branch police officer has been arrested and suspended from the force after he was charged with second degree aggravated assault in connection with an altercation outside a nightclub. The alleged assault of a 33-year-old Neptune man resulted in a broken jaw among other injuries. The police officer has been suspended from his job without pay. According to the Asbury Press Article, the officer was involved in the January 31 assault outside the Headliner Night Club in Neptune, New Jersey. The police officer was released on $25,000 bail with a 10% option.
This sounds like a typical bar fight or altercation outside of a bar or nightclub. Many times, individuals have too much to drink and get involved in incidents that they otherwise would not have been involved in. We'll see if the officer has any claims for self-defense or that this was a consensual fight that he happened to get the best of. This will change the types of penalties and jail time that he may be facing. However, because it is a 2nd degree charge for aggravated assault, there is a presumption of incarceration associated with any second degree crime even if the defendant has no prior record. We'll see how this case develops.
