Robert Sinnott Jr.’s attorney claims the former New Jersey police officer will fight his case “with every ounce of his strength” after a state grand jury indicted him on fresh charges Thursday.
Sinnott, 53, faces new counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, second-degree official misconduct, and second-degree pattern of official misconduct, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced. The retired Island Heights cop and former chief of the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company in Toms River already had four counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact and one count of second-degree official misconduct pending against him.
Michael Ansell, Sinnott’s attorney, told NJ.com that the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office had pursued charges in 2023, “but it didn’t go anywhere so the fact that the state pursued charges is very perplexing,” Ansell added that before the charges, his client “served with distinction and had an unblemished record.” Sinnott has pleaded not guilty and remains out of jail.
Davenport said in a statement that “the defendant held positions of trust and power within the communities he served and among his coworkers and subordinates in government. But, as alleged in the indictment, he abused that trust again and again.”
According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by NJ.com, Sinnott allegedly “created situations where he would be alone” with 11 victims at various locations including the firehouse and his Toms River home. Davenport’s office said he would allegedly handcuff victims “under the false pretense of needing their assistance with a police-related training, or he would otherwise physically restrain them, before forcing sexual contact upon them against their will.”
In one incident detailed in court filings, a fire department subordinate arrived at Sinnott’s home in August 2022. The chief allegedly handcuffed him and put him in a headlock, then placed his groin into the firefighter’s hands and thrust while grunting. The victim remained clothed throughout the assault. Sinnott allegedly snapped several photos of the attack with a digital camera, according to the complaint.
A month earlier, in July 2022, Sinnott allegedly used a mechanical device to “hog tie” a male firefighter and climbed on top of him before having sex with him and photographing it.
A third firefighter told investigators that Sinnott restrained him in the chief’s vehicle on Feb. 10, 2023, while they inspected a fire hydrant. Sinnott allegedly pushed the man’s head onto the dashboard, grabbed his arm, and forced his hand onto his own groin. The chief then laughed and released him, the filings claim. Just two weeks later, the same firefighter was allegedly attacked again when Sinnott grabbed him in a bear hug and rubbed his crotch against his buttocks while mocking him.
The affidavit noted that Sinnott’s victims initially viewed him as a “role model, mentor, and father figure.” The document further stated that “due to Sinnott’s positive reputation in the community, they feared personal and professional harassment and retaliation if they reported these incidents.”
Police arrested Sinnott at his home in Cape Coral, Florida, in December, executing search warrants on his residence and vehicle. He was subsequently extradited to New Jersey to face charges.