A police detective in an Ocean County allegedly town lied about what happened to some of his guns after he was supposed to surrender all firearms in a domestic violence case last May.
Matthew Curtis, 47, is suspended with pay from his position with the Island Heights Police Department.
He is charged with providing a false report to law enforcement authorities, contempt of a judicial or protective order and being a certain person prohibited from possessing a weapon, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced.
Curtis was required to surrender any guns he owned or possessed after a temporary restraining order was issued against him May 11 of last year, according to the report.
Two days later, he wrote and signed a letter saying that he sold three handguns that were registered to him before the restraining order was issued, and that they no longer belonged to him.
But a weapons trace by the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that he remained the registered owner.
The Little Egg Harbor Township resident then filed a report with his local police department on Dec. 11, saying that three handguns had been stolen from his unlocked personal vehicle in front of his home, Billhimer said.
An investigation found that one of the reportedly stolen guns was one of the ones he claimed to have previously sold.
That weapon was recovered from a defendant accused of motor vehicle theft and eluding in Essex County, Billhimer said.
Curtis was processed at the Ocean County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, and released on a summons.
The collaborative investigation included the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards Unit and Domestic Violence/Weapons Squad, the Little Egg Harbor Police Department, and the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Curtis is highlighted several times on the Island Heights Police Department's Facebook page, including a post from Nov. 5, 2020, where he reportedly aided in the birth of a baby girl.
He also remains in the group photo that headlines the page.
