Ocean County College dean charged with sex assault of minor, prosecutors say
The college said James Hadley has been suspended and restricted from campus, and an interim dean has been appointed to the School of Business and Social Sciences.
A man who recently served as a dean at Ocean County College was charged with sexually assaulting a minor, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said Monday.
James Hadley, of Barnegat in Ocean County, was arrested Friday when he allegedly traveled to Pleasantville in Atlantic County to meet the juvenile for a sex act, the prosecutor’s office said. Hadley was described as 66 years old, but public records indicate that he is 65.
Earlier this year, Hadley became the dean of the School of Business and Social Sciences at Ocean County College.
In an emailed statement Monday night, the college said it was informed by law enforcement on Friday afternoon about “the situation regarding James Hadley.”
The statement continued: “Upon receiving this information, we took immediate action and placed Mr. Hadley on a suspension and restricted him from campus. An interim dean has been appointed.”
Ocean County College said it has “no record of complaints or reports concerning his conduct while employed with our College. As an open active investigation is pending, the College will not be offering further comment at this time. We are fully cooperating with any police inquiry.”
The prosecutor’s office said that based on three alleged incidents this month, Hadley was charged with second-degree sexual assault of a victim under the age of 16, second-degree luring a minor to commit a sexual act, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.
The investigation showed Hadley had previously met the child to engage in sexual acts that he paid the child to perform, the prosecutor’s office said.
The case, which remains open, was investigated by the Pleasantville Police Department with assistance from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit.