A high-ranking Camden County Police official has been charged with lewdness after allegedly exposing himself in a coffee shop -- allegations his chief calls "deeply troubling."
Lt. Benito Gonzalez was arrested Friday in connection with the May 7 incident at the Starbucks restaurant on E. Route 70 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Authorities say Gonzalez pulled down his shorts while seated at a table and masturbated.
The woman who answered the phone at Gonzalez's Deptford home on Tuesday said he was not there.
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Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson said Monday that Gonzalez has been suspended from duty. An internal investigation is currently taking place.
"We are deeply troubled by the allegations of this off-duty conduct," said Thomson in a statement to NBC10.com. "A swift and thorough investigation is being conducted. We are working to ascertain all of the facts in this matter with Cherry Hill Police Department and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.”
Police initially posted a photo of a man, who they identified as Gonzalez, with his pants down inside the Starbucks on their Facebook page. They later took it off however and are now using the picture as evidence.
The Camden County Police force patrols the city of Camden.
