Point Pleasant Police Officer Resigns, Brick Shoplifting Case Resolved

POINT PLEASANT, NJ — The former commander of detectives in the Point Pleasant Police Department has resigned from the force in the wake of shoplifting charges filed against him in Brick Township, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.

Joshua H. Gunnell, 41, resigned voluntarily on Sept. 1, the prosecutor's office said.

The charges he faced of shoplifting at Walmart were resolved Sept. 28. The prosecutor's office said Gunnell received a conditional discharge on the initial charge filed June 25 and signed by a Brick Township police officer.

The condition of the discharge is that he remains offense-free for one year, the prosecutor's office said. Two other shoplifting charges that were filed by Walmart were dismissed as well, and Gunnell made restitution on those.

Gunnell's salary was $141,840 as of Dec. 31, 2021, according to the DataUniverse database of New Jersey public salaries and pensions, and he had worked for the Point Pleasant Police Department since 2008. He had been suspended without pay.

Gunnell was charged with shoplifting at the Walmart self-checkout on Route 88 after scanning one item and hiding the remainder of his items under under recyclable shopping bags, the Asbury Park Press reported. His actions were caught on surveillance video; the items totaled $212, the report said. The additional charges Walmart filed, for incidents on June 5 and June 15, alleged a theft of under $200 in items.

"Gunnel resigned voluntarily and agreed to forfeit his right to seek public employment in law enforcement," Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. "While the actions that gave rise to the criminal complaint were extremely troubling, I commend Mr. Gunnel for realizing the gravity of the situation and voluntarily resigning from the Point Pleasant Borough Police Department."

"Whenever a law enforcement officer is criminally charged for violating the very laws he or she swore to uphold, it reflects poorly on the vast majority law enforcement officers that live up to that oath every day," Billhimer said. "All members of the law enforcement community must maintain the public’s trust by conducting themselves with the highest level of integrity."

"We will continue to hold our officers to the highest standard and work every day to build trust with the communities we serve," the prosecutor said.