A Somers Point man was ordered held in jail on charges he possessed and shared images of child sexual abuse.
Roger Tees, 73, stepped down from his post as deputy director of the city's Office of Emergency Management about a week before his arrest on third-degree charges of possession and second-degree distribution of child pornography charges.
The investigation is ongoing, and could increase possession to a second-degree crime, Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Remy told the judge with more than 480 items found.
Anything more than 100 requires a prison sentence, he noted.
Tees, who will turn 74 next month, had no previous interaction with the criminal justice system, attorney Lauren Musarra said as she argued for his release.
The public safety assessment, which is used to help determine whether a defendant is held pretrial under bail reform, put Tees at the lowest risk for both failures to appear and likelihood to incur another charge. It recommended he be released on his own recognizance.
Tees previously served as Galloway Township manager and, before that, headed Pleasantville's Urban Enterprise Zone.
He has several medical issues, including glaucoma, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, liver and kidney issues and sleep apnea requiring him to sleep with a CPAP machine, his attorney told the judge. She said he also went 24 hours without any of his medication when first jailed.
"What we actually know at this time is very little about what items were found, exactly where they were found and how they necessarily relate to Mr. Tees specifically," Musarra said of the state's case.
But the prosecutor said that the case against Tees is strong, with reporting from Yahoo about what was in an account his internet provider confirmed was his.
He also said Tees admitted to possessing and sharing the images.
Tees, however, claims he admitted to possession of adult pornography, not that involving minors, Musarra told the judge.
"I would contend that his alleged admissions may be taken out of context or may be subject to having been misconstrued," she said.
Despite those arguments, Judge Dorothy Garrabrant found that Tees would be a danger to the community if released.
"Each time he viewed or distributed such material, he harmed a child and caused that child to be revictimized," she said. "Absent that cybertip, the defendant most certainly would have continued his criminal conduct."
Tees will remain in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
