Sergio Bichao
PLAINFIELD — A former city police sergeant next month is
facing 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on a sex crime conviction.
Samuel Woody, 43, had been scheduled to be sentenced Monday
morning by a Superior Court judge New Brunswick on the charges second-degree
official misconduct and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact. The sentencing
was postponed because of the snow storm.
Woody was accused of wrongfully arresting a 27-year-old
woman on theft and burglary charges in July 2011. Later, he coerced the woman
into undressing while he masturbated in full uniform, officials said.
Authorities said Woody had threatened to put his victim in
prison for five years.
The 12-year veteran of the Plainfield force was convicted
last month by a Union County jury. Afterward, the case was transferred to
Middlesex County, where he remains in custody at the county jail.
The sentence requested by the Union County Prosecutor’s
Office may include five years of parole ineligibility on the official
misconduct conviction, and being barred from ever again holding a public job in
the state.
