Manalapan Cop Alleges Police Chief Sexually Harassed His Wife

MANALAPAN, NJ — A Manalapan police officer has filed an explosive new lawsuit against the chief of the Manalapan police department, Michael Fountain.

In the lawsuit, police officer Edward Hedden, 43, said he became the target of a personal vendetta by Fountain after he reported Fountain for "sexually charged improper conduct" at an ice hockey game. The news that the lawsuit was filed was first reported by the Asbury Park Press, and they uploaded the entire lawsuit to Scribd, a document-sharing site.

The ice hockey game was played by the Manalapan Hockey Club and took place in Toms River in a tournament on March 9-11 of this year. There is a team in the club manned by eight Manalapan police officers, including two sergeants in the department, and the rest civilians.

According to the lawsuit, which you can read here, Fountain told players on the team that anyone who scored a goal "can grab (his girlfriend's) a**" and "anyone who scored a hat trick (three goals) can grab her t****." During each time a player scored a goal, Fountain called them over and ordered them to grab his girlfriend's breasts or buttocks, Hedden alleges.

After the game, Hedden said they all went to the Miracle Pub in Toms River and Fountain started drinking heavily and became unruly, the lawsuit alleges. Hedden said he went with his wife, and Fountain allegedly told her "he was going to punish his girlfriend's ******* and blow a load in her face."

Hedden said he viewed that as sexual harassment against his wife, and was enraged about how Fountain spoke to his wife. He also said he felt helpless to do anything about it due to the police chief's superior rank. He said his "raw anger festered for several days" before he finally decided to report the incident via an anonymous letter to Manalapan PD internal affairs.

Hedden then took responsibility for the letter and asked for a meeting with Fountain and Internal Affairs. At that meeting, according to the lawsuit, Fountain said he and his girlfriend discussed the players grabbing her in a sexual manner "as a way to motivate the team" and Fountain also said Hedden's wife shouldn't have been offended as he saw "she had hosted passion parties and advertised them on Facebook."

Fountain also said he thought he was among friends at the Miracle Pub. He also said he could not believe a friend would tell on him.

Within days of that meeting, Hedden said Fountain immediately suspended from duty and confiscated his department-issued firearm. Hedden had to complete the fitness test for a "fit-for-duty" exam and was deemed fit for duty. But when he tried to return to work, he alleges that Fountain told him "he would go to any lengths" to keep him off the force, and force him into early retirement. Fountain then contacted the Monmouth County prosecutor's office and told them Hedden was stealing funds via his role as PBA president.

Hedden said that is wholly untrue and the county prosecutor declined to investigate.

Hedden said he is still not allowed to return to work, and he needs his paycheck as a Manalapan police officer.

The Manalapan police department declined to comment when asked by Patch. Manalapan Township Attorney Roger McLaughlin told the Asbury Park Press Hedden's allegations had been "thoroughly investigated" and most were "found to be without basis."

McLaughlin said the lawsuit is actually about Hedden's retirement benefits, and not the sexual allegations.

"He threatened to file this lawsuit unless the township allowed him to retire on an enhanced basis that he was not entitled to in order to increase his retirement benefits," McLaughlin said. "The township will not be intimidated or allow its taxpayers to be burdened by increased retirement costs because of such threats. Manalapan will vigorously defend this lawsuit and has sent it to its insurance company to handle."