Former LB Cop Gets 1 Year Probation For Inappropriate Touching

LONG BRANCH, NJ — A former Long Branch cop who pleaded guilty to harassing and inappropriately touching a woman at a bar was sentenced Friday to one year of probation. Patrick D. Joyce Jr. also stepped down from his position as part of the plea agreement, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced in April.

Joyce, 35, admitted to offensively touching a 21-year-old woman at Jack's Goal Line Stand, a local bar that hosted a private party following the promotion ceremony of Long Branch officers Feb. 1, the MCPO said. Joyce was suspended by the Long Branch Police Department after the incident.

Joyce also cannot work in any public employment in New Jersey, according to the plea agreement. The agreement in April called for a probationary period to be determined by the court at sentencing and for mandatory outpatient treatment, the MCPO said.

"The vast majority of law enforcement officers perform their duties with integrity and honor," Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said April 4 after Joyce's guilty plea. "However, when a police officer takes advantage of the very citizens they are sworn to protect, it erodes public confidence and violates the public's trust. Such behavior will never be acceptable or tolerated."

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