Mercer County Sheriff's Officer Illegally Provided Photos of Underage Suspect to Newspaper: Police

A Mercer County sheriff’s officer is in trouble after illegally providing three photos of an underage suspect to a newspaper, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said on Thursday.

Christopher J. McKenna, 37, of Hamilton, was charged by complaint with wrongful access and disclosure of information, a third-degree crime.

McKenna is a Mercer County sheriff’s officer assigned to the Mercer County Criminal Courthouse. He allegedly illegally accessed a restricted law enforcement database to obtain three arrest photos of a child.

Before accessing the database, a person must accept the website’s terms of use, which includes a statement that reads, “Information contained on this Website may only be used for law enforcement purposes. Except law enforcement agencies, information contained on this Website shall not be disseminated to any other individual or entity…. Unauthorized use of the Website may result in criminal prosecution.”

He then allegedly provided those photos to The Trentonian on or about Aug. 21, in violation of New Jersey law prohibiting public disclosure of juvenile court records.

The newspaper then ran the three photos, along with the juvenile’s identity and identities of their three arrests.

McKenna faces between three and five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000 if convicted.