A former member of the Florham Park zoning board recently admitted to sexually assaulting an underage boy on multiple occasions.
According to law enforcement, the suspect had oral sex with a juvenile who was between the ages of 16 and 18. Prosecutors said that the suspect committed the sexual offenses several times over a two-year period, from June 2008 to June 2010.
The Florham Park Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office conducted a joint investigation into the 52-year-old suspect after the victim came forward and said that he had been sexually assaulted.
Investigators eventually determined that there was enough evidence to arrest the suspect and charge him with the sex crimes. Additionally, the suspect was charged with aggravated assault in the case.
Now the suspect, who is a resident of Florham Park, New Jersey, is going to be spending a long time behind bars after reaching a plea deal with Morris County prosecutors. In exchange for the suspect pleading guilty to one count of sexual assault, prosecutors agreed to drop the other criminal charges against the suspect. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office also agreed to recommend a sentence of seven years in New Jersey State Prison, as opposed to the maximum sentence of 10 years of a second degree sexual assault conviction.
The suspect is currently free on $200,000 bail. He will have to appear in Morris County Superior Court, located in Morristown NJ, in July so that he can be formally sentenced.
Back in March 2016, when the allegations were made public, the suspect resigned from his positions on the Florham Park Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Florham Park Construction Board of Appeals, and the Florham Park Environmental Commission.
For additional information about this case, view the NJ.com article, “Ex-Florham Park Zoning Official Admits Having Sex with Minor.”