A Monmouth County jury has awarded $1.8 million to a former Sea Girt police officer who said the police chief discriminated against him because of his military service, refused to promote him to sergeant and peppered him with homophobic insults.

Kenneth Hagel, 50, of Point Pleasant, was a Sea Girt police officer and a member of the U.S. Navy Reserves in Lakehurst for more than 30 years. In addition to monthly training throughout the United States, Hagel has been deployed to Kuwait, Guam, and Spain, according to court documents.

The former cop claimed in a lawsuit filed in 2014 that Chief Kevin Davenport falsely believed he was gay and discriminated against him because he was in the military and required to leave his police job periodically for training and overseas deployments.

Hagel filed suit in Monmouth County Superior Court against Davenport, the police department and the borough. The Navy man claimed the chief engaged in a pattern of sexual harassment and discrimination.

“The trouble started when Davenport was promoted to sergeant and took over scheduling,” said Hagel’s attorney, Matthew A. Peluso of Princeton.

Davenport became acting chief in July 2013 and soon after was promoted to police chief. That’s when the harassment and discrimination escalated, the attorney said.

“Mr. Hagel and another witness testified about numerous acts and statements of discrimination by Davenport against Mr. Hagel,” Peluso wrote in court papers.

Sea Girt Police Chief Kevin DavenportSea Girt PD

Davenport said Friday he could not comment on the allegations contained in the lawsuit. “I wish I could comment but unfortunately I’m not in a position to comment at this time," he said.

Reached by phone Friday, borough Administrator Lorraine Carafa said she had “no comment” on the lawsuit or the jury’s verdict.

Hagel’s lawsuit claimed Davenport:

Created a mock license plate with the words “I’m Gay” and taped it over the rear license plate of Hagel’s car

Said all Navy guys are gay because “everyone knows what Navy guys are like and do on their ships”

Called Hagel and other military personnel “pussies” and called Hagel a “handjob” in front of junior officers with the intention of demeaning him

Unlawfully accessed national law enforcement databases to conduct illegal searches on Hagel

Told Hagel that Sea Girt would never hire or promote another military person

Had a Sea Girt police officer confirm that Hagel was really at military drills because he thought Hagel was lying and also had Hagel followed by private investigators

Cut out photos of Hagel’s face, “drawing a penis going into Mr. Hagel’s mouth and then attaching it to a photo of a scantily clad woman and then placing these photos in different locations in the Sea Girt PD headquarters”

Told another officer that Hagel was gay and bisexual and having an affair with another male police officer and that the officer was having an affair with Hagel’s wife

Hagel claimed he was wrongfully denied a promotion to sergeant at least twice because of anti-military discrimination and sexual orientation discrimination. He claimed that because of Davenport’s behavior and actions, fellow officers falsely believed he was gay.

The jury on Tuesday found Davenport had engaged in anti-military and false sexual orientation discrimination against Hagel with regard to the sergeant promotional process in 2013-14.

They awarded Hagel $262,800 in compensatory damages for lost salary and benefits, $500,000 in emotional distress damages and $1 million in punitive damages, after finding that Davenport and the borough “engaged in egregious conduct against” Hagel, his attorney said.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.