A former Mantua Township police lieutenant has been convicted of falsifying official records and misusing law enforcement databases after a September 2021 fight at the home of a woman he was having an affair with, a case that ended with his own subordinates investigating him. Shaun J. Butler, 46, was found guilty following a six-week trial of official misconduct, computer crimes and related offenses tied to the altercation and its aftermath.
The case traces back to the early morning hours of September 11, 2021, when the woman's husband returned home and discovered Butler and the woman together, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. A fight broke out between Butler and the husband. Rather than calling 9-1-1, Butler phoned the Mantua Township Police Department's dispatch line directly to report the incident, and he did not identify himself as an officer when subordinate officers arrived and asked what had led to the fight, the station reports.
Court evidence showed Butler went on to access police databases to read reports generated about the incident, despite the system being intended strictly for valid law enforcement purposes. He later added details to the official report on the altercation and attributed those additions to the subordinate officer who had originally written it, per the outlet's reporting. Prosecutors also presented records showing Butler described the police documents to the woman over the phone and in messenger chats, telling her he could use his access to the files to help minimize the incident.
Coercion and Threats Uncovered in Internal Probe
Text messages and phone conversations between Butler and the woman figured in the case. The woman told investigators she felt unable to give consent during the initial encounter because of intoxication, the newspaper reported.
A separate civil rights lawsuit filed in Gloucester County Superior Court went further, alleging that subordinate Mantua officers who responded to the scene that night pointed a weapon at the husband and held him in a patrol car for as long as 45 minutes to shield Butler, the Courier-Post reported. The lawsuit also claimed township officials initially refused public records requests for body camera footage and incident logs tied to the case.
Sentencing Scheduled for December
Butler's sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 4, 2026. Under New Jersey law, a public official convicted of a second-degree crime touching their office can face a five-year minimum prison term without eligibility for parole, though the statute allows limited circumstances in which the minimum may be waived or reduced, according to Justia Law.
A Career That Began in 2006 and a Prior Settlement
Butler joined the Mantua Township Police Department in 2006 and was one of four officers promoted to lieutenant in January, according to a Medium account of the promotions.
This was not the first time Butler's conduct on the job drew a legal challenge. In July 2016, Mantua Township paid a $25,000 civil settlement to a motorist who sued Butler and the department, alleging Butler had conducted an abusive 2013 traffic stop and then arranged retaliatory drunk driving charges after the motorist complained to the police chief, according to RLS Media. A municipal prosecutor dismissed the retaliatory summonses before the township settled.
New Jersey law enforcement agencies are required to file annual reports under IAPP Section 9.11.2.
