A longtime Ocean County youth coach and college professor accused of paying a Pleasantville child for sex was ordered held in jail Wednesday.
James Hadley, 65, was “expecting to find a naked 13-year-old waiting for him” when he got to the boy’s home last week with a bottle of lubricant and $200 in cash, Assistant Prosecutor Jasmine Ostrow said.
Instead, he found law enforcement waiting to arrest him.
Hadley was jailed on charges including second-degree aggravated sexual assault, luring and endangering the welfare of a child for sexual conduct.
His attorney portrayed Hadley as a married man with two masters degrees who has lived in Barnegat for 38 years, owns his own business, is an Ocean County College dean, heads a board that helps the homeless and the sole caretaker of his 93-year-old mother.
But that he had all these things and still entered into this behavior was part of the reasoning Judge William Miller gave in detaining Hadley.
“He was willing to put his entire life at risk to go after and entice a 13-year-old (using) vaping and money, and was prepared to do it again,” the judge said. “I think the community deserves to be protected. I think that is a risk that the court can’t protect against with a paper order.”
He also put himself into the community to interact with youth regularly, Ostrow said.
In listing Hadley's accomplishments, defense attorney Edward Appel made no mention of his client's ties to children in the community, including founding the Ocean County chapter of the Boys and Girls Club, and coaching sports that included Little League and youth basketball.
Texts sent between the man and boy on the app Zangi indicate at least two prior sexual encounters for which Hadley paid $200 each, and bought the child a vape.
The boy’s mother went to law enforcement, which led to investigators intercepting the messages, with Hadley driving from Ocean County to Pleasantville, where he was taken into custody.
Hadley has no criminal history, with the public safety assessment putting him at the lowest possible risk for both failure to appear and risk of reoffending, and recommending that he be released on his own recognizance, Appel pointed out in his arguments for release.
The PSA, used to help decide whether to detain or release a defendant pretrial under bail reform, is “a valuable tool for the court to rely upon,” Appel said
“What information does the state have that’s so compelling to overcome these low scores?” he asked.
But Ostrow said the state was not asking for detention based upon just the charges.
“We are asking him to be detained for other factors, for the facts that led to those charges,” she said.
Ostrow also noted that Hadley faced an additional charge of contempt after failing to provide the state with the passcode to his phone.
After the judge’s decision, Appel and his client met in a virtual breakout room, resulting in the attorney emailing the passcode to the assistant prosecutor and judge.
Hadley showed no reaction during the hearing until the judge referenced the money allegedly paid for sexual encounters as “essentially a bribe.”
The defendant — who was muted appearing via video from the jail — could be seen gasping and then raised his hand and waved it back and forth.
He did not address the court at any point.
“There could have been multiple victims out there,” the judge said. “It appears the defendant had no boundary or limits, and that’s the real concern here. But I think the court can conclude this is a serious illness.”
Hadley will remain in the Atlantic County Justice Facility pending the outcome of the case.
It was not clear if Appel would appeal the decision.
