Cpl. Benjamin Berry, the Ocean City Police Department officer involved in an ongoing criminal investigation in Delaware, has resigned.
Police Chief Ray Austin reported Berry’s resignation at Monday’s meeting of the Ocean City Police Commission. In an update on staffing levels, the chief told members that Berry had been suspended with pay since early June.
“As we talked about in the last police commission meeting, we did have one officer who was suspended with pay,” Austin told commission members Monday. “That officer, Cpl. Benjamin Berry, has resigned from the Ocean City Police Department, pending termination.”
In June, Delaware State Police launched an investigation into the possibility that Berry and his wife, Kimberly – a special education teacher with Worcester County Public Schools – were involved in some sort of child exploitation.
Delaware police offered no information about what prompted the investigation into the Selbyville, Del., couple, although they were contacted by local authorities because of jurisdictional issues.
However, it appeared the two were already in trouble with their respective employers when the Delaware State Police investigation began.
Kimberly Berry, who already faced job performance problems, according to sources outside the school system, was fired by the board of education last month, while Benjamin Berry was on administrative leave for an unrelated matter within the police department.