A proverb has been used in police circles:” Control the picture, or the scene did command you.” The Toms River Police Department’s nine-year former Rachel Sayegh was nothing short of a controlled environment on April 26. It was natural conflict, according to prosecutors.
An off-duty Sayegh reportedly showed up at her ex-boyfriend’s house in Berkeley Township, New Jersey, just before nightfall. She was not there to make things right.
A harsh and personal destruction is depicted in court records and police affidavits. Sayegh, 32, is accused of entering the home where her original companion was present with another person by smashing through the front glass doorway with her police-issued stick. A storm of shouting, shoving, and death followed, according to the prosecution. She allegedly assaulted both of the inhabitants, broke into her home, and vandalized a vehicles parked in the driveway before refusing to be arrested when police arrived. She apparently threatened to burn the house down as she was being escorted ahead.
It was the kind of crime legal scene you would anticipate, not the typical first-person officer.
Then, Sayegh is the one facing a first-degree crime fee, along with abuse, criminal mischief, resisting arrest, and making terroristic threats. She faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. And the condition desires that she remain there until the test is over.
Cop to Defendant
Judge Joseph Grisanti informed Sayegh that the prosecution wanted to keep her imprisoned without bail on Tuesday during a virtual hear. Friday is the day of a conventional detention reading.
She chose to reappear on her own, which was a difficult choice. She had immediately been summonsed and released, as is frequently the case with first-time criminals or non-flight risk. However, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer made it abundantly clear that this was not a typical local affair. After reviewing the circumstance, Sayegh was taken back into prison on Monday because prosecutors determined the expenses were very serious to ignore.
She showed up in court without any expression as the costs were read aloud. She was from the Ocean County Jail.
Her lawyer, Terrance Turnbach, maintains that she is cooperating and comprehends the gravity of the situation. He said,” She has been a member of the Toms River Police Department and proudly served her community for almost nine years.” She is taking all the necessary precautions to adequately address the issue at hand.
The Background Petition
However, this is not the first time Sayegh has been in a legitimate dispute; up until now, she had been the defendant.
She brought a complaint against the Toms River Police Department last year, alleging a harmful” Boy’s Club” society of retaliation and sexism. Sayegh says in her legal issue that she was romantically harassed, ignored for promotions, and subjected to disciplinary steps for actions that male officers frequently got away with.
Retired Captain ShaunO’Keefe, who Sayegh charges of consistently pursuing her for a sexual relationship, is at the center of her complaints. The most significant allegation is thatO’Keeefe followed her into the women’s bathrooms and demanded that she perform a sex act, something the department says failed to properly investigate.
The town dismissed all claims as “frivolous” and “without legitimate base,” in its official reaction. And only weeks prior to Sayegh’s arrest, a judge dismissed the allegations againstO’Keefe on legal grounds, not because they were misleading but because the statute of limitations had expired.
One may argue that the whole situation, from the alleged misconduct to Friday’s aggressive breakdown, is a case in point for how institutions neglect both their staff and the people they serve.
A Crisis Force?
Sayegh’s case comes at a time when national law enforcement organizations are being investigated for domestic culture and accountability concerns. What occurs when an officer who is under a lot of stress doesn’t get help but rather implodes?
Toms River PD has kept a tight-lipped about Sayegh’s present job status. The division is no stranger to controversy: in recent years, it has been the subject of numerous domestic disputes and lawsuits, including allegations of gender bias and punitive discipline.
The sequence of events seems to indicate a downward spiral, both personal, professional, and lawful, that culminated in a breaking day in Berkeley Township, though it’s unclear whether Sayegh’s prior grievances with the ministry played any role in the reported household invasion.
What transpires following
The goal of Friday’s detention hearing may determine whether Sayegh is detained or released before going on trial. According to the prosecution, she poses a risk to the reported subjects and possibly to herself. Her defense team will probably demand psychiatric evaluation or supervised release.
In the interim, a lady who once wore the badge to guard others finds herself on the other side of the justice system as a reminder of what can go wrong when unchallenged power, individual turmoil, and administrative neglect collide.
Whatever the judge decides future, one thing is certain about Rebecca Sayegh: the thin blue line has turned into a line and is deteriorating quickly.
