A Rockaway Township NJ man recently pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges stemming from a sex crime he committed 14 years ago.
According to Morris County prosecutors, the 51-year-old suspect had sex with a 12-year-old boy more than a decade ago, during the summer of 2002, in Boonton Township, New Jersey. The illegal sex acts reportedly involved oral sex with the victim. The suspect was said to be living with the victim’s family at the time of the sexual offenses.
The victim eventually came forward in 2013 and reported the alleged criminal acts.
After an investigation by Morris County law enforcement, the suspect was placed under arrest and charged with first degree aggravated sexual assault and second degree sexual assault.
A trial was scheduled to be held in Morris County Superior Court in Morristown NJ. Prior to the start of the trial, however, the suspect reached a plea agreement with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
The suspect, who used to live in Boonton Township, New Jersey, could have been sentenced to as many as 20 years in NJ State Prison if he had been convicted on the most serious charges of aggravated sexual assault at trial. Instead, he will likely be sentenced to a term of incarceration of 12 years in state prison. Additionally, the suspect will be ineligible for release on parole until he has served at least 85 percent of his sentence because the No Early Release Act (NERA) applies to this kind of sex crime.
Beyond that, the suspect will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law after his release from prison.
For further information about this case, go to the DailyRecord.com article, “Boonton Man Admits to Sexually Assaulting 12-Year-Old.”
