Editor's note: The content of this article may be disturbing to some readers.
A married couple working as police officers in New Jersey are facing charges of child sexual abuse, according to Office of the Attorney General.
On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted investigators that a male user on a mobile messaging platform had uploaded and shared suspected child abuse images and videos, officials said.
Investigators said that the images and videos appeared to be newly created or homemade content that allegedly showed the user's wife naked while in the presence of children.
The male user is accused of admitted on the platform that he and his wife had sex in front of the children, according to investigators.
A total of 36 files were uploaded to the mobile messaging platform by the male user, according to the cyber tip line.
“Sexual offenses against children are among the most serious crimes we charge,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. “It’s especially disturbing when, as in this case, the accused are members of law enforcement.
The husband and wife accused in this case each work as law enforcement officers in different departments for Mercer County, New Jersey, the Attorney General's Office explained.
The male officer was charged with possessing fewer than 1,000 images of child sexual abuse, distributing images of child sexual abuse and other related charges.
The female officer was charged with engaging in sexual conduct that would debauch the morals of a child.
"Hamilton Township is aware of the disturbing allegations of one of our police officers. While we cannot comment on active investigations, we want to be unequivocally clear—Hamilton Township has zero tolerance for crimes of this nature. We remain fully committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability within our community and our police department and continue to fully cooperate with the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) investigation. We will have additional comments once an announcement is made by the NJSP," Hamilton, New Jersey, Mayor Jeff Martin and the township's police chief Ken DeBoskey said in a joint statement.
