Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato announced today that a lieutenant with the Ocean County Sheriff's Office admitted taking cocaine entrusted to him for canine training but instead, used it himself.
According to authorities, in January of 2017, an investigation uncovered that Adams - who was serving as the commander of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department canine unit at the time - had failed to secure cocaine used in the training of canine animals adequately. Adams initially falsely reported that the cocaine was accidentally discarded with canine training items.
Upon further investigation, it became apparent that Adams had blamed other members of the K-9 Unit for the cocaine’s disappearance after he diverted more than one kilogram of the controlled dangerous substance from its intended training purposes and used it for his consumption. It is alleged that John C. Adams ingested the cocaine.
As a consequence of his guilty pleas, Adams must forfeit his public employment. He is also ineligible for any future government employment in the State of New Jersey.
The plea agreement requires Adams to serve a three-year State Prison sentence, which includes a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of two years.
The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department provided assistance and cooperation from the inception and throughout the investigation.
According to authorities, Adams remains free on bail pending his scheduled sentencing on April 6, 2018.