A former Ocean City police sergeant honored as a “pillar of the community” will now be known as a Megan's Law offender.
Tyrone Rolls, now 52, pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child for an inappropriate sexual relationship he had with a girl beginning when she was 15 years old.
The victim, now 22, came forward in January 2021, saying that her relationship with Rolls began when the two kissed in his patrol when she was a sophomore at Ocean City High School. When she was 16, the two had sex for the first time at his Marmora home, she told police.
Rolls, a 25-year police veteran, was a mentor to the girl in basketball and would drive her to and from practice both before and after the inappropriate behavior began, he admitted in court Wednesday.
His admission focused on text messages between the two that were of a sexual nature.
The relationship continued for years, according to the affidavit of probable cause in the case, which also alleged Rolls struck the victim, by then a 20-year-old woman, with an open hand during a verbal altercation around Dec. 31, 2020 or Jan. 1, 2021.
“Now you know what it is like to be hit,” he allegedly told the woman at that time.
Rolls was originally charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault of a domestic violence victim and two counts of official misconduct.
He pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. He faces five years with no minimum term required. He also will have to register as a Megan's Law offender with parole supervision for life.
Rolls has a tentative sentencing date of May 19, but he first must undergo an evaluation at the Avenel Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center, which is required of all sexual offenders. That usually postpones the sentencing.
