TRENTONIAN: MOUNT HOLLY — Robert Melia Jr., the Moorestown cop facing accusations of molesting young girls, found himself back in court yesterday charged with committing additional illicit sexual acts. But this time the victim wasn’t human. It was a cow [NOT pictured, above]. The behind-barnyard-doors action was said to have taken place repeatedly during the latter half of 2006 in Southampton Township. The new charges were revealed yesterday by an anonymous source and confirmed by Jack Smith, spokesman for
the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. Smith said four new complaints against Melia were signed yesterday and that Superior Court Judge John Almeida set his bail at $20,000 — $5,000 for each alleged transgression. That’s on top of the $500,000 bail set against him for his previous charges. Melia, 38, was arrested and charged last week with numerous counts of sexual assault stemming from alleged incidents involving three underage (human) females. Those assaults were said to have taken place in 2003, 2004 and 2007, and Melia’s acquaintance, Heather Lewis, 32, faces charges as a result. Her bail is $300,000. Melia, arrested at his own police headquarters after the human sex allegations, has been suspended from the job, pending the outcome of the case against him. MORE
[Photo by JONATHAN VALANIA]