A Florham Park NJ man avoided prison after pleading guilty to criminal sexual contact charges stemming from incidents with two underage females.
The suspect, a 20-year-old resident of Florham Park, was accused of sexually assaulting two minors on multiple occasions.
In June 2016, the mother of one of the victims, a 15-year-old girl, notified East Hanover police that her daughter had been the victim of a sexual assault.
Several law enforcement agencies then collaborated on the investigation, including the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the East Hanover Police Department, the Florham Park Police Department, and the Hanover Police Department. Investigators reportedly learned that the suspect had sex with the underage victim in Florham Park and East Hanover, New Jersey.
Investigators also learned that the suspect sexually assaulted a 13-year-old in Florham Park and East Hanover around the same time.
Authorities charged the suspect with numerous sex crimes, including four counts of sexual assault and four counts of child endangerment.
The suspect ultimately reached a plea agreement with Morris County prosecutors. In exchange for the suspect pleading guilty to lesser charges of criminal sexual contact, prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of probation. Since criminal sexual contact is classified as a fourth degree felony, the suspect potentially could have been sentenced to a term of incarceration in New Jersey State Prison.
The suspect recently appeared in Morris County Superior Court for a formal sentencing hearing, at the conclusion of which the superior court judge imposed a sentence of two years of probation. This means that as long as the suspect avoids violating the terms of his probation, he will not have to serve any time in prison for his crimes.
As part of the suspect’s sentence, he will have to register as a convicted sex offender under Megan’s Law.
To learn more about this case, access the NJ.com article, “Man, 20, Gets Probation for Sexual Contact with Teen Girls.”
