Elizabeth rookie cop charged with sexual assault

ELIZABETH —  A city police officer was charged by a grand jury on Friday with sexual assault while off duty.

Samaad I. Bethea, 22, is charged with second-degree sexual assault and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact for an incident with a woman on Dec. 14, according to Acting Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan.

Bethea will make his first court appearance on Tuesday.

The woman was not seriously injured, according to Monahan, who did not disclosed the circumstances of the incident.

According to TAP into Elizabeth, Bethea was one of 18 officers sworn into the force in July.

He also played football for Elizabeth High School, where he was a member of the Class of 2014, according to MaxPreps.com.

Elizabeth police did not immediately return a request for comment.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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