A former member of the Ocean City Beach Patrol, who later worked as a teacher, was sentenced Tuesday to four years of probation and was also barred from any future public employment, authorities said.
Jonathan Howell, 42, of the Marmora section of Upper Township, was accused of sexually abusing a minor. The charges against him came after a social media post in April 2021 made numerous allegations against the beach patrol, according to a statement from the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office.
The crimes occurred on June 1, 2017, according to online court documents, but detectives began investigating Howell when they learned of the online post.
The allegations – which were shared on an Instagram account ocbp_predators, – included claims of rampant sexual abuse often committed by older members against younger members of the beach patrol. The posts included stories of sexual assault against underage girls, along with heavy drug and alcohol use.
The creator of the Instagram account previously told NJ Advance Media she had received more than 500 personal messages since the first post went live on April 14, 2021, though not all messages were shared publicly. The account manager, who did not want to be identified, said she vetted the messages and removed identifying information before publishing some of them to the account.
Detectives obtained a search warrant that was executed in 2022 at Howell’s home and arrested him a short time later, the office said.
Howell was also a teacher in the Pleasantville School District at the time of his arrest in 2022, but he is no longer employed there.
Howell was indicted on Jan. 21, 2023 on first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, second-degree official misconduct, and two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, authorities said.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, the office said.
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
