Sheriff's Officer Indicted on Sexual Assault Charges

An Essex County Sheriff's officer has been indicted on sexual assault charges, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes announced Monday.

Thomas Ingham, 48, of Wayne, was indicted on multiple charges: sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and two counts of lewdness.

If convicted, Ingham could serve 10 years in state prison on the sexual assault charge alone. He would have to serve 85 percent of the sentence for that charge before being eligible for parole. He is currently free on $150,000 bail. 

Ingham was arrested Oct. 11 following an investigation by the prosecutor’s office Special Victims Unit, a press release issued by Valdes stated.

The charges are based on allegations of sexual conduct between Ingham and two female children who were friends of his family. The sexual conduct allegedly occurred between 2002 and 2010 when the girls were between 8 and 15 years old and would visit his Wayne home, Valdes said.

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