South Jersey officer charged in sex assault of handcuffed victim to be held for trial

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (WPVI) -- The Atlantic City police officer accused of sexually assaulting a handcuffed woman in his patrol car will be held for trial.

Joshua Munyon, 24, appeared virtually before Judge Jeffrey Waldman on Friday for a detention hearing. He sat in silence for nearly an hour as the judge heard statements from the state and the defense.

Investigators say the alleged assault happened on September 13, 2024, when Munyon issued a summons to the victim for being intoxicated at the Tropicana Casino.

According to court documents, Munyon allegedly drove the victim to a parking lot where he stated he would take her back to the casino if she performed sex acts.

The woman, who authorities say was handcuffed, says in court documents that she did not provide consent but "felt she did not have any other option, as she had no other means of transportation and no way of communicating with the party she was traveling with."

The victim reported injuries to her wrists during the assault from being handcuffed. She told casino security about what happened after she was driven back by the officer.

"There was quite a scene at Tropicana because she had been ejected. But after having been transported back by the defendant, she went back into the Tropicana, which obviously alerted their security because she had been removed," said Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Ruffenach on Friday.

According to investigators, vehicle GPS, and body-worn camera footage corroborated statements made by the victim.

Police say Munyon failed to notify his supervisors of the allegations and denied the assault.

"Additionally, when questioned by supervisors, Officer Munyon affirmatively denied that [the victim] was ever under arrest or inside of his vehicle," the criminal complaint stated.

During the hearing, Munyon's attorney, Louie Barbone, tried to paint a different picture, saying the victim admitted to drinking shots of cognac, smoking weed, and doing mushrooms prior to the alleged assault.

The livestream on the New Jersey Courts' website went offline twice Friday so Barbone could play portions of the victim's statement.

Despite statements that say the woman was handcuffed the entire time, Barbone alleges this to be untrue, claiming video evidence proves otherwise.

Nonetheless, the argument wasn't enough to release Munyon as Judge Waldman found probable cause for all three charges, which include first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and second-degree official misconduct.

Munyon's next hearing is scheduled for May 19.