Former NJ Foster Parent, Borough Official To Remain Jailed On Child Sex Charges

SOUTH TOMS RIVER, NJ — A former South Toms River borough official will remain in jail after being charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting a foster child who was living with him, an Ocean County judge ordered Wednesday.

William Gleason, 68, faces charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child under age 13, aggravated sexual assault of a child between the ages of 13 and 16, sexual assault of a victim more than four years younger than him, aggravated criminal sexual contact, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to jail records.

Gleason was head of the South Toms River Recreation Commission and formerly a foster parent, said Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer. Officials said the sexual assaults took place in Gleason's home, between 2015 and 2020.

On Wednesday, Judge Kenneth T. Palmer ordered Gleason to remain detained in the Ocean County Jail, pending a criminal trial.

Officials urged anyone with information about the investigation, or Gleason's alleged crimes, to contact Detective Delaney Huber of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027, extension 3218, or Detective Timothy Meier of the South Toms River Police Department at 732-363-0200, extension 112.

The South Toms River Borough Council removed Gleason from all of the positions he held in the borough, attorney Christopher Dasti said last week.

That included his roles as head of the recreation commission, secretary on the Land Use Board, and member of the Community Emergency Response Team of the Office of Emergency Management. Gleason had received a stipend as a member of the Land Use Board but he was not an employee of the borough, Dasti said.

Billhimer said an investigation by the prosecutor's Special Victims Unit and South Toms River detectives led to the charges against Gleason being filed on Nov. 24; he turned himself in to South Toms River police on Nov. 25.

Patch's Karen Wall contributed to this article.