A state-led sting operation led to the arrest Thursday of a Howell police sergeant who thought he was meeting a 15-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity, authorities said Friday.

Sgt. Richard Conte, 47, was charged with second-degree attempted luring or enticing of a child and is being held in the Ocean County jail in Toms River.

Conte (jail photo)

Howell Police Chief Andrew Kudrick, in a statement late Friday, discussed the arrest with, "tremendous sadness, disappointment, anger and embarrassment."

Conte, a member of the Howell police force since 1997, was chatting with what he believed was a teenage girl on social media, according to Peter Aseltine, a spokesman with the state Attorney General's Office.

Conte attempted to meet the girl in Toms River, but she was actually an undercover police detective, Aseltine said.

He was arrested by an officer with the Toms River Police Department, but the case is being prosecuted by the state Attorney General's Office's Division of Criminal Justice.

The statewide sting of multiple suspects was set to stretch into early next week with approval from a judge to jail and seize the cell phone of anyone arrested so the person could not warn others on a website website of the investigation, a source with knowledge of the probe told NJ Advance Media.

The investigation is now expected to wrap up Saturday, the source said.

NJ101.5 first reported the officer's arrest on Friday afternoon, which sparked the chief's angry response.

Conte was off-duty during when the sting operation was carried out, according to Kudrick's statement. The officer's been suspended without pay.

"Prior to the arrest, I was made aware of the situation," Kudrick said.

"It sickened me to learn one of my officers, a highly competent supervisor none the less and one that I have worked alongside with for many years on the SWAT team, not only defied my trust, but fellow officers as well," the chief wrote.

"But most importantly, defied the public's trust and expectations of a police officer. As such, I fully supported the investigation and provided input to ensure his apprehension."

The Howell Police Department is conducting its own investigation to determine if Conte, who supervised the night shift, engaged in any egregious activity while on-duty, Kudrick said.

Part of that investigation includes pulling cellphone and computer records, GPS activity on his patrol vehicle and Department of Motor Vehicle access, according to Kurdrick.

"I offer my sincere apology to the community that we value and respect so deeply," Kudrick said. "Our department's reputation has been tarnished. I ask you not to judge us on the actions of one but rather on the outstanding service the remaining loyal officers provide with professionalism and pride every single day."

Conte is scheduled to appear in Ocean County court for a detention hearing on Wednesday.

- Staff Writer Craig McCarthy contributed to this report.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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