Neptune City Man Busted On Child Sex Assault Charges

A Neptune City man has been arrested for possession of child sexual assault images, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Tuesday.

Ernst Roberts, 62, of Oak Terrace in Neptune City was charged with one count of 3rd degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child for Distribution of Child Pornography.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children’s Task Force received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The CyberTip stated that on October 27, 2018, an individual conducted an internet search for child pornography.

A subsequent investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and ICAC Task Force member Detective Sergeant Christopher Kucinski from the Spring Lake Police Department revealed that the individual conducting the internet search was Ernst.

A subsequent search of Roberts’s computer uncovered hundreds of items of child pornography. Roberts turned himself in to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office on May 17, 2019.

On May 18, 2019, Roberts appeared for his First Appearance and was released on conditions including no internet usage and no contact with anyone under the age of 18.

If convicted of the 3rd degree crime, Roberts faces a sentence of up to 5 years in New Jersey state prison.