Kenneth Gaulette. (Essex County Prosecutor’s Office)
A New Jersey police officer is accused of forcing a woman to perform oral sex on him on police property, prosecutors say.
Kenneth Gaulette, a 33-year-old Newark Police detective, is accused of sexually assaulting a 40-year-old woman in November, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office says.
Gaulette was arrested Wednesday, according to NJ.com.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Prosecutors Say He Told the Woman She Could Get ‘Favorable Treatment if She Performed the Sex Act’
Kenneth Gaulette. (Linkedin)
Kenneth Gaulette is accused of sexually assaulting the 40-year-old woman on November 29, 2015, NJ.com reports.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office says Gaulette told the woman she “would receive favorable treatment from law enforcement if she performed the sex act.”
Other details about the case have not been made public.
2. He Was Laid Off by the Newark Police in 2010 but Returned to the Force in 2012
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Gaulette has been a police officer for nine years and began his career in Newark, according to CBS New York.
He was among a group of Newark police officers laid off during budget cuts in 2010, according to a NJ.com story from the time.
Gaulette was rehired two years later, CBS New York reports.
During his time away from the Newark force, Gaulette worked as an officer in Clark, New Jersey, according to Patch.com.
“These gentlemen impressed me a lot,” Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso told Patch about Gaulette and two other new hires in . “They were very well presented and very passionate about their careers and wanting to get back into it. I think these three gentlemen will be a great complement to the department.”
According to his Linkedin profile, Gaulette is a detective assigned to the gang enforcement unit.
3. He Was Once Bitten by a Suspect Who Told Him He ‘Wished He Had AIDS’ So He Could Give it to Him, Court Docs Show
A Newark Police Department car. (Getty)
Gaulette was injured on the job in March 2010 when a suspect bit him during an arrest, according to court documents.
The suspect, Raymond Ferguson, was wanted for breaking into an elderly couple’s home. While he was being taken into custody, he bit Gaulette on the hand, prosecutors said. While he was being taken to the hospital he told officers “he hoped he had AIDS” to give it to Gaulette, court documents show.
Ferguson was later found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. The state appellate court denied Ferguson’s appeal in 2014.
4. The Police Union Says the Accusations Have Turned His Life ‘Upside Down’
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Newark Fraternal Order of Police President James Stewart Jr. told NJ.com that Gaulette is an “exemplary police officer.”
“These allegations have turned his life, and the lives of his family, upside down. He looks forward to his day in court and he has our support as he and his attorney prepares his defense,” Stewart told the news site.
Gaulette, of Manalapan, could not be reached for comment.
His father, also named Kenneth Gaulette, is a retired Bayonne, New Jersey, police detective.
5. He Was Released on $75,000 Bail After Turning Himself in & Has Been Suspended Without Pay
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Gaulette turned himself in Wednesday and was released after posting $75,000 bail, the Associated Press reports.
He was charged with second-degree sexual assault and fourth-degree criminal coercion, prosecutors say. The latter charge stems from his implication that the victim could receive favorable treatment from police, according to prosecutors.
Gaulette has been suspended without pay, Newark officials say.