February 5, 2021
By: Tyler Eckel
FREEHOLD (MONMOUTH)– An Ocean Township man is facing charges for the possession and distribution of child pornography following a tip he uploaded the materials to his social media account, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
Alexander Mejia, 35, of the 3100 block of Willow Drive in Ocean Township, is charged with second degree distribution of child pornography and third degree possession of child pornography. Mejia was taken into custody on Feb. 4, 2021, and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold Township pending a detention hearing.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit/Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a referral from the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children (NJ ICAC) Task Force in June 2020. The referral came after a complaint was filed by the social media platform Instagram reporting a user utilized the platform to upload child pornography. Further investigation traced the account to Mejia at his Willow Drive address.
A search warrant was executed on Jan. 22, 2021, at his Ocean Township address where evidence was recovered, including eight (8) electronic devices.
If convicted of distribution of child pornography, Mejia faces a sentence of five to ten years in a New Jersey state prison. If convicted of possession of child pornography, he faces a sentence of three to five years in prison.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Kristen Anastos.
Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.
February 5, 2021
By: Tyler Eckel
TRENTON (MERCER)– Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri announced today that an investigationconducted by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force resulted in an arrest this
morning of a Trenton man for the March 25, 2020 murder of Yuell Moore.
Ravel Stokes, 25, is charged with one count of first-degree murder, one count ofsecond-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and one count ofsecond-degree unlawful possession of a weapon. He was taken into custody withoutincident Friday morning at his Oakland Street residence by the U.S. Marshals NY/NJRegional Fugitive Task Force and the Mercer County Tactical Response Team. The
prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain Stokes pending trial.
At approximately 2:30 p.m. on March 25, 2020, Trenton police responded to the firstblock of Hudson Street on a report of a shooting in progress. Upon arrival, they located the victim, later identified as Moore, 29, laying on the ground with a gunshot wound to
the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Despite having been charged, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
February 5, 2021
By: Tyler Eckel
BRICK TOWNSHIP (OCEAN)– Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Point Pleasant Borough Chief of Police Robert Lokerson announced that on February 4, 2021, Jessica Duffy, 37, of Brick Township, was charged with Theft in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3a and Forgery in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1a(1).
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Unit and Point Pleasant Borough Police Department revealed that Duffy, employed as a bookkeeper at R.H. LeChard Marine Contractors in Point Pleasant, misappropriated approximately $260,000 from the company during the course of her employment. Duffy was not authorized to sign checks on the company account, yet wrote numerous unauthorized checks to herself, forging the signature of the company manager on each check. She then deposited the checks into her personal account for her personal benefit.
Duffy was processed at Point Pleasant Police Borough Headquarters, and released on a summons pending a future court date.
Prosecutor Billhimer and Chief Lokerson acknowledge the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Unit and Point Pleasant Borough Police Department for their collaborative efforts in connection with this investigation leading to these charges.
The public is reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
February 5, 2021
By: Tyler Eckel
NORTH BRUNSWICK (MIDDLESEX): Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief JosephBattaglia of the North Brunswick Township Police Department announcedtoday that authorities are investigating a fatal shooting at the Renaissance
Glen Apartments.
On February 3, 2021, at approximately 7:30 P.M., authoritiesresponded to Marc Drive following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival,officers located a male juvenile, 17, of North Brunswick who had sustaineda non-fatal gunshot wound. Upon further investigation, officers later foundMarc Atkins, 18, of Plainfield who had also sustained multiple gunshot
wounds and was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The investigation is active and continuing. Anyone with informationis asked to call Detective Errol McCalla of the North Brunswick PoliceDepartment at (732) 247-0922 ext. 311 or Detective Sean Sullivan of the
Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-4060.
