Passaic County officials reported the entry of a guilty plea in The State of New Jersey v. Mark Stinnard.
According to Passaic County, Mr. Stinnard, 37, from Pompton Lakes, plead guilty to third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child for causing harm to a child before the Honorable Marybel Mercado-Ramirez, J.S.C.
In exchange for his guilty plea, at the time of sentencing, the State will recommend a five-year probationary period during which Stinnard would be mandated to attend sex offender specific therapy, there shall be no contact with the victim, and the defendant shall forfeit his current public employment and will be prohibited from holding public employment in the future.
Officials say on Monday, April 23, the Riverdale Police Department received a report of a minor who had been sexually involved with a police officer from the Pompton Lakes Police Department.
It was determined that the offenses occurred in Passaic County, and as a result, the Sexual Investigations Unit of Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office conducted the investigation.
The resulting investigation revealed that Stinnard, a Pompton Lakes Police Officer, was having a sexual relationship with a child under the age of 18 and that in the course of their relationship he would request that the child take nude photos and videos and send them to him.
It was also determined that the sexual relationship occurred during Stinnard’s personal time and did not touch upon his employment as a police officer.
During his plea allocution, Stinnard admitted under oath to engaging in a sexual relationship with the victim who was under 18-years-old at the time, and that they also exchanged explicit naked photos of each other.