A 20-year veteran of the Monroe Township Police Department is now facing numerous criminal charges after he allegedly engaged in sexual activity with a wanted person in his cruiser and leaked police information to friends and criminals, according to authorities.

Sgt. Jody Collins (Monroe Twp. Police Facebook)

After a five-month investigation, Sgt. Jody Collins, 41, turned himself in Thursday to face charges of a pattern of official misconduct, official misconduct and computer crimes, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office announced Monday.

In a press release, the office said Collins used his job -- and the access it provided to police databases and other information -- to help people he knew escape arrest.

According to court documents, Collins improperly used his position to get information from Gloucester County dispatchers on whether there were active warrants for three people he knew. This occurred on multiple occasions between December of 2016 and April of 2018, according to the probable statement in court documents.

On Feb. 11, Collins and one of the wanted individuals then engaged in sexual activity in his patrol cruiser while he was on duty and should have been arresting her, according to the probable cause statement.

Authorities said he also provided her with information about "police activity at or near her residence, so she may avoid apprehension and/or conceal any illegal activity."

He is also accused of providing her with money so she could settle a drug debt on Feb. 15, while he was allegedly on duty. He also failed to arrest her on the outstanding warrants on that date.

The probable cause statement also said Collins used his job to help a friend who owned a repossession business when he asked dispatchers to find information on the owner of a vehicle on Sept. 18, 2015.

According to township meeting minutes, Collins became a police officer in 1998 and was promoted to sergeant in September.

The Monroe Township Police Department announces the promotion of Officer Jody Collins. Last night, Tuesday the 11th,... Posted by Monroe Township Police Department (Gloucester County, NJ) on Tuesday, September 12, 2017

The sergeant had been on paid leave since the investigation began in April, but was placed on unpaid leave when he was charged last week, the office said.

Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office Sgt. Stacie Lick noted when she filed the charges that the information was based on statements from witnesses, voice recordings, cell phone data, and database records.

The Monroe Township Police Department assisted with the investigation, but Chief John McKeown declined to specify whether the investigation originated in his department's internal affairs division.

The prosecutor's office said Collins is due to appear in Gloucester County Superior Court Friday.

State pension records show Collins earns a salary of $108,702. He could not be reached for comment.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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