Tuesday, April 28, 2009

MORRISTOWN: Police are looking for an unidentified man who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in Hanover Township on the side of a highway after abducting her from a street corner in Paterson, Morris County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi said today.

The 23-year-old woman was waiting for the bus at the intersection of Market and Main streets at approximately 5:00 a.m., Saturday, April 11, 2009, when the suspect approached her in a dark red or maroon colored four-door sedan and ordered her to get into the vehicle. The suspect told the victim that he had a gun. A firearm, however, was never exhibited by the suspect, Bianchi said.

The man drove onto the highway and eventually onto Route 287 south, where he pulled to the side of the road and subsequently sexually assaulted the woman. The victim was able to break free from the suspect and ran for help to a nearby residential neighborhood, Bianchi said.

The suspect is described as a dark skinned man, between 30 and 40 years old, with dark eyes. He was wearing a dark red or rust colored baseball cap, Bianchi said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Sex Crimes Unit at (973) 285-6200, Hanover Township Police Department at (973) 428-2512 or the Morris County Crime Stoppers Program at (973) 267-2255 or (973) COPCALL.

Monday, April 20, 2009

MORRISTOWN: A 64-year-old Long Hill man is in the Morris County Jail in lieu of a $60,000 bail after a prosecutor's Arson Unit detective and local police detectives connected him to four unsolved fires between mid-March and last week, Morris County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi said today.

Morton James "Jimmy" Cullinan was charged with four counts of third-degree arson for the blazes he allegedly set using lit cigarettes in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Bianchi said. Three of the fires were set in the Harding sections of the 8,700-acre refuge in Morris and Somerset counties. One was set in Long Hill Township, Bianchi said, noting the fires caused property damage, but no injuries.

Bianchi said, "I applaud the tenacious efforts of Morris County Prosecutor's Office Detective Chris Kimker, Harding Twp. Police Lt. Dan Nunn and Long Hill Twp. Detective Gary Bauer. This cooperative partnership led to the arrest of an alleged arsonist."

Bianchi also credited the Morris County Sheriff's CrimeStoppers program for giving law enforcement crucial information. "This is an extremely valuable program that once again is responsible for solving crime," he said.

Detective Chris Kimker, who is a member of the prosecutor's arson and environmental crimes unit, worked with Harding police Lt. Dan Nunn and Long Hill police Detective Gary Bauer to solve the case. The CrimeStoppers tip put Cullinan on the police radar screen. Following the most recent fire set April 17, Bauer spotted him in the area.

Cullinan was arrested Friday night by the three officers.

Despite these pending charges every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt following a jury trial at which the defendant has all of his or her rights guaranteed by the U.S. and New Jersey Constitution and relevant state law.

Friday, April 10, 2009

DOVER: A 60-year-old Dover man was charged with aggravated assault in connection with a shooting the night of April 9 on Fox Hill Drive, Morris County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi, Esq., said today.

Dover police were called at approximately 10:14 p.m. Thursday about a shooting on Fox Hill Drive, with the victim suffering a shot in the head. Upon the arrival at the scene, police found a woman slumped over the front seat of a 2000 BMW. The victim was bleeding profusely from the mouth.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit and Intelligence Crime Task Force responded along with the Morris County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Section.

The female victim, 40, of Morristown, was transported to Morristown Memorial Hospital by New Jersey State Police helicopter, and she remains there in critical condition, having suffered a gunshot wound to the head.

As a result of the joint investigation by the prosecutor's office, along with Dover Police Department and the Morris County Sheriff's Office, Henry Telfair, of Dover, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault; possession of a firearm with purpose to use it unlawfully against the person or property of another; possession of a handgun without first having obtained a permit to carry.

Superior Court Judge Salem Vincent Ahto set bail at $250,000 and sent Telfair to the Morris County Jail.

Both the victim and Telfair were familiar with one another. A firearm was recovered at the scene. The circumstances that led to the victim and Telfair getting together remain under investigation by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, Dover Police Department and the Morris County Sheriff's Office, Bianchi said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Morris County Prosecutor's Office at 973-285-6200, the Dover Police Department at 973-366-0302 or the Morris County Sheriff's CrimeStoppers Program at 973-267-2255.

Despite these pending charges every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt following a jury trial at which the defendant has all of his or her rights guaranteed by the U.S. and New Jersey Constitution and relevant state law.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Morris County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi, Esq., Chief of Investigations William Schievella, and Morris Plains Chief of Police James V. Abbondanzo announce the on-going investigation into the shooting death of a male subject which occurred on April 7, 2009.

On April 7, 2009 at approximately 2:23am the Morris Plains Police Department received a 911 call from an individual who reported observing a male subject on the ground in the rear of the Dunkin Donuts parking lot located on Speedwell Avenue in Morris Plains New Jersey.

Upon the arrival of the Morris Plains Police Department they found a white male located next to a parked vehicle in the rear of the parking area.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit, along with the Morris County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Section, and the Morris County Medical Examiner's Office responded to the scene.

Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi, Esq. stated "The individual suffered a single self inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. The individual was pronounced dead at the scene by the Morris County Medical Examiner's Office. A note preliminarily determined to be written by the decedent also confirmed the finding of a suicide.

The investigation is on-going and we are in the process of attempting to make contact with the victim's next of kin".

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

MORRIS PLAINS: Two tricksters who created a UFO hoax in the skies over the Morristown area were sentenced this afternoon by a municipal judge to pay $250 in fines each and work off 50 hours of community service for their antics.
Municipal Court Judge Michael Carlucci told Chris Russo, 29, of Morris Plains, and Joe Rudy, 28, of Chester Township the hoax could have had tragic consequences. The pair's "UFOs" were made with road flares tied to helium balloons.
Their antics on four foggy nights in January and February triggered 911 calls to police. So proud of their work, the two men had a log of their activities on April Fool's Day posted on a Web site called eSkeptic.com.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi said, "Throughout we were concerned that what was now a joke could turn into a tragic situation. It was a tremendous waste of police resources and posed a serious fire threat to homes, wooded areas, and posed a significant danger to air traffic, and tied up valuable 911 resources.

"In mitigation, however, since these defendants stopped their actions once authorities asked them to, have led otherwise law abiding lives, did not contemplate that their actions would cause harm, and since they were cooperative with investigators, I believe that the plea to a municipal ordinance violation with a fine and community service and no criminal record, serves the deterrent effect in this matter to punish this conduct in a measured way. I also take into consideration that these young men should not have to suffer a criminal conviction in their young lives for what can otherwise be deemed a youthful indiscretion.

Bianchi added, "A municipal ordinance is not a criminal conviction, and does not appear on their record."

Friday, April 03, 2009

MORRISTOWN: Calling Timothy Iberer a "vile and despicable sexual predator," Morris County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi today applauded the 17-and-1/2 year prison sentence a judge ordered the man to serve for a crime that unnerved Pequannock in 2007.

An admitted sex offender, Iberer, 28, of Bloomingdale, snuck into a 5-year-old Pequannock girl's bedroom at least twice and molested her in 2007.

Superior Court Judge Salem Ahto said he will serve a period of his time at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center for sex offenders in Avenel. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

"You are the very definition of pedophile," Ahto told him.

The victim's father, addressing the court before Iberer was sentenced, told Iberer, "You scared and tortured my family," and said he will be waiting for him when he gets out "if you need a ride home that day."

Iberer also is subject to the No Early Release Act, Megan's Law and Parole Supervision for Life.

Iberer, a former pizza deliveryman who did not know the family or child, pleaded guilty on Jan. 23 to burglary, sexual assault and attempted aggravated sexual assault, telling the court that between Aug. 1 and Sept. 9, 2007, he broke into the Pequannock home to commit a theft. He cut the corners of a first-floor window screen and realized he gained access to girl's bedroom. He had targeted the house at random.

Iberer admitted that he sexually touched the child, who later told her parents "the doctor" had come into her bedroom and touched her.

The final incident was in September, when he was discovered by the girl's mother and jumped out the window and fled.

The girl told police a man had been in her room at least twice before that night. The girl said he shined a flashlight in her eyes and touched her.

Iberer was arrested Sept. 21, 2007, in Bloomingdale, where he lived with his brother. Since his arrest, Iberer has remained at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center for sex offenders in Avenel.

Bianchi noted, "I applaud the dedicated detective work by our investigators and assistant prosecutors and Pequannock police detectives. They worked around the clock for weeks to solve this vile crime. I want to give special credit to Detective Sgt. Robert McDermott who developed the profile of this suspect and Assistant Prosecutor Meg Rodriguez who tirelessly pursued justice for this family in court."

His arrest was his second for child sex assault charges following his April 2002 arrest for fondling his girlfriend's 8-year-old daughter in Clifton, and the abuse occurred a couple of times until the little girl told her aunt, according to Passaic County authorities.

Iberer pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was sentenced in January 2003 to four years in prison. He served most of the sentence in the Avenel facility, and was released in June 2006, according to records.

This story was filed April 3, 2009. Media Agent Bill Swayze may be reached at 973-285-6200.