MORRISTOWN -- A former lieutenant with the Sussex County Sheriff's Office who purchased steroids from another officer last year has lost his pension, according to documents obtained by an open public records advocate.

Christopher Lynch agreed in Aug. 2015 to resign his position and to be barred from future law enforcement employment in New Jersey after testing positive for steroids, according to a copy of the settlement agreement obtained by public records advocate John Paff. Lynch, whose salary at the time of his resignation was $109,591, also agreed to cooperate with the investigation of charges against other Sussex County Sheriff's Office employees.

Lynch lost his pension benefits at the March 14, 2016 meeting of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System because of his "egregious misconduct" of "(purchasing) illegal steroids for personal use on multiple occasions, and allowing the ongoing sale of such substances on the premises of Sussex County Jail," according to minutes from the PFRS' March 14, 2016 meeting.

Lynch had sought an accidental disability retirement but the PFRS denied his request and his benefits were forfeited.

Lynch's steroid use was allegedly uncovered during the investigation into Kevin Cole, who was also an officer with the Sussex County Sheriff's Office.

Cole was arrested in March 2015 by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office on a charge of conspiring with another to possess anabolic steroids and possession of a hypodermic needle. Cole was admitted into the pre-trial intervention program this past April.

Sussex County Sheriff Michael Strada said the Morris County Prosecutor's Office handled the investigation to avoid a conflict of interest but only Cole was charged criminally.

"The Morris County Prosecutor's Office didn't pursue charges against anyone else," Strada said Sunday morning. "I don't why (Lynch) wasn't charged criminally."

Cole, he said, was terminated from the Sussex County Sheriff's Office while Lynch was allowed to resign. Strada said no other officers resigned as a result of this investigation.

Strada previously told NJ Advance Media an internal investigation had led to the unpaid suspension of two officers for alleged violations of departmental rules and regulations. Lynch was one of those two officers.

An OPRA response received by Paff from Undersheriff Lee Liddy said the other officer who was suspended in connection with this investigation "was not separated" from the Sussex County Sheriff's Office, so he was not identified as his personnel records were exempt from disclosure.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office hasn't yet said why it chose to charge Cole but not Lynch or the other officer.

The sheriff has said all county employees including sheriff's officers are subject to random drug testing.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.