Former Eatontown police Officer Philip Emanuele, 33, has been sentenced to five years probation on charges of criminal coercion and tampering with physical evidence.

Emanuele was an eight-year veteran of the department and was a former detective. He pleaded guilty to the charges last month and was required to immediately forfeit his position and was barred from any future public employment in New Jersey.

The following is a release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office on the case:

In March 2012, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office commenced an investigation after receiving a complaint made by a 24-year-old woman concerning actions and behavior by Emanuele while working in his capacity as a detective. According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Emanuele responded to the Monmouth Mall in Eatontown on December 21, 2011 after his department was notified that a store employee was detained while attempting to steal money.

Emanuele placed the female employee under arrest, escorted her to the parking lot, and told her that he would help her in any way possible if she agreed to help him. Once at the car, the woman surrendered narcotics to Emanuele, and he then drove her to the Eatontown Police headquarters. At headquarters, Emanuele signed a theft complaint against the woman charging her with stealing from her employer. He then flushed the drugs down the toilet and asked the woman to serve as an informant for him.

While driving the woman back to her car, Emanuele asked her to perform a sexual act upon him, to which she declined. Emanuele met the woman on two subsequent occasions. On one of those occasions, Emanuele began kissing her with the hope and expectation that she would engage in sexual relations with him, especially since her theft charge was still pending.

On another occasion Emanuele told the woman that he wanted to help her and claimed that he had contacted her former employer in an effort to get her theft charge dismissed. In doing so on each occasion, Emanuele used the threat of a pending theft charge, and the prospect of it being dismissed, to unlawfully coerce the woman into engaging in sexual relations with him.

Emanuele was suspended without pay by his department in June of 2012. At the time, his annual salary was $114,712.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Gregory J. Schweers of the Office’s Professional Responsibility Unit. Emanuele was represented by Patrick Toscano, Esq., of Caldwell.