Drug suspect lied about cops sexually assaulting him, court finds

A Salem County man has been found guilty of lying when he said three police officers sexually assaulted him at a Penns Grove police station, NJ Advance Media reports.

"It's one of the most cowardly things one man could do to another man," the report quotes Lt. Bob Gant, president of the Salem County Fraternal Order of Police, saying

Marcus I. Reddick, 27, made the claims early last year after being arrested on drug charges, the report said. He'd been arrested during a motor vehicle stop on suspicion he was in possession of drugs, and was searched at the station — a search that turned up narcotics, the report quotes Salem County Assistant Prosecutor Michael J. Forte saying.

The county prosecutor's office investigated and found Reddick's claim of being sexually assaulted was false, the report said. Authorities reviewed video and audio recordings of his search and found no evidence of sexual assault, it said.

Reddick was found guilty on three counts of false swearing, but not for a fourth, after he confused one officer for another and initially made the claim of sexual assault against the other officer, the report said. He could be sentenced to up to 18 months on each count. He is still awaiting court proceedings on the narcotics charges.