BRICK, NJ – Three people have been arrested in Brick Township this week for crimes against children, but what makes these incidents harder to swallow is that two of them were people of the community’s entrusted class, a police officer and a school teacher.
While crimes against children are always shocking and painful when they involve people we put our faith and trust in to be around our children, it’s more difficult to process and understand. A sense of fear sets in. If children are not safe among teachers and cops, who are they safe with.
This week’s incidents are not unique to Brick. Since 2020, the increase in child crimes have increased nationwide, with perpetrators from all walks of life.
Brick woman teaching in Wall had sexual relationship with student
FREEHOLD, NJ—Julie Rizzitello, a former teacher at Wall Township High School, has been arrested on charges of sexual misconduct with a student, according to a joint announcement by Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago and Wall Township Police Chief Sean O’Halloran.
Rizzitello, 36, from Brick Township, faces two counts of second-degree Sexual Assault, third-degree Witness Tampering, and three counts of fourth-degree Criminal Sexual Contact. This follows her resignation earlier in the week.
The investigation, conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Bureau along with Wall Township and Brick Township Police Departments, uncovered that Rizzitello allegedly engaged in unlawful sexual activities with the student across Belmar, Brick, and Wall on multiple occasions.
Brick State Trooper arranged to have sex with young girl
BRICK, NJ – A New Jersey State Police Trooper has been charged with attempting to arrange a sexual encounter and obtain sexually graphic images from a child, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.
Shane H. Dempsey, 31, of Brick Township, faces multiple charges, including second-degree Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child via Permitting the Child to Engage in the Production of Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM), second-degree Attempted Engaging in Prostitution, second-degree Attempted Luring, second-degree Attempted Sexual Assault, and third-degree Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child via Sexual Conduct.
An investigation led by a Prosecutor’s Office Detective acting undercover on the social media app Whisper began earlier this year. The detective was contacted by Dempsey, who attempted to solicit sexually explicit images and expressed a desire to pay for a sex act from someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.
Dempsey was taken into custody without incident in Ewing and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution. He is awaiting future proceedings in Monmouth County Superior Court.
Brick man had lewd images of children
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Robert Lasher, 71, of Brick Township, was charged with Possession of Child Imagery on Tuesday.
The investigation was initiated by a referral from the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which received cyber-tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the uploading of child pornography. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit identified an IP address in Brick Township as the source of the uploads, leading to Lasher’s identification.
On Tuesday, Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations, and the Brick Township Police Department executed a court-authorized search warrant at Lasher’s residence. A forensic examination of his electronic devices revealed several items of child pornography.