Gloucester Twp. Officer Cops to Drug Charge, Loses Job

A Gloucester Township Police officer accused of buying drugs on the job pleaded guilty to a lesser charge Thursday and immediately lost his job.

Thomas Eden Jr., 31, of Sicklerville, reportedly bought prescription drugs while on duty in April 2012. A tip to police led officers to the Howard Johnson motel on the Black Horse Pike, where Eden—on duty, in uniform and driving a police cruiser—purchased oxycodone and Percocet pills from an undercover informant.

Eden pleaded guilty to third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance. While he’ll learn his sentence on Feb. 22, his plea deal calls for noncustodial probation. Eden also had to forfeit his position as a police officer, effective today, and cannot hold public office in New Jersey in the future.

Eden, a seven-year veteran of the force, had been charged with four drug and weapons offenses, all carrying possible prison sentences of three to 10 years.

The officer’s April arrest brought out the full court press from the police department. At the time, the police chief and Mayor David Mayer used words like “reprehensible” to describe the situation.

"I am angered that Mr. Eden allegedly abused his position of trust by violating the very laws he swore to uphold and defend as a Gloucester Township Police officer," Chief W. Harry Earle said then.

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