A former teacher at a middle school in Mount Olive NJ faces criminal charges for sexually assaulting an underage girl in Netcong, New Jersey.
The sex crimes reportedly occurred all the way back in June 1993, lasting for approximately one year. Last year, the victim came forward to accuse the suspect of sexually assaulting her more than two decades earlier.
The suspect allegedly committed the sexual offenses in Netcong, NJ on at least two occasions between June 1993 and April 1994. At the time of the alleged sexual assaults, the suspect was 35 years old and the victim was just 14 years of age.
The victim, who is now a 37-year-old adult, spoke with law enforcement and said that the suspect digitally penetrated her when she was just a child.
Although the suspect used to be employed as a physical education teacher at Mount Olive Middle School, it is not believed that the victim was a student at the school when the alleged sex crimes occurred. Moreover, investigators do not believe that the sexual offenses have any connection to the suspect’s old job as a PE teacher at the Mount Olive NJ school.
The suspect retired from her job at the Mount Olive middle school some time ago and currently owns Fanucci’s Café, an Italian restaurant located in Netcong, New Jersey. She operates the restaurant with her husband.
The suspect, who is now 58 years old, was arrested in May 2015 and charged with the very serious crime of sexual assault of a minor.
Now it appears that the criminal case could be headed to trial in Morris County Superior Court in Morristown NJ after a Morris County grand jury indicted the suspect on the sexual assault charges.
If the suspect is ultimately convicted of sexual assault at trial, she faces severe penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(b) and N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(c), a person who commits an act of sexual penetration with a minor can be charged with a second degree felony that carries a potential punishment of 5-10 years in New Jersey State Prison.
After being placed under arrest and charged on the sex crime charges, the suspect was remanded to the Morris County Jail in Morristown, NJ. She was later released from jail after posting a $75K bail amount.
The victim currently lives in Minnesota. She has also filed a civil lawsuit against the suspect, with the outcome of that case likely to be determined by a Minnesota court.
For additional information about this case, see the DailyRecord.com article, “Ex-Mount Olive Gym Teacher Indicted for Sexual Assault.”
