A former sheriff’s officer in Bergen County arrested for sending sexually charged text messages to a 14-year-old child has entered a plea deal to avoid jail time, court records show.

Michael Vermeylen , 42, of Oak Ridge, was arrested Feb. 7 at the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, where he was employed as a detective.

He was charged with third-degree obscenity to minors and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

Vermeylen spent six days in jail before he was released. He cut a plea deal with prosecutors in April to avoid additional jail time, court records show.

The agreement allowed Vermeylen to plead guilty to one count of third-degree endangering in exchange for the dismissal of the obscenity charge.

Investigators said Vermeylen sent “inappropriate sexual text messages” to

See Full Page