Morris County Prosecutor's Office

MCPO Participates in Table of Hope’s Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaw On a snowy Friday, November 22, 2024, several members of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office joined Table of Hope to distribute frozen turkeys and all-the-fixings food packages at the County College of Morris, ahead of Thanksgiving Day. In preparation, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office purchased a pallet of turkeys from Kings Supermarket to distribute at the Turkey Giveaway. The turkeys were made possible in part by a $250 donation by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office PBA Local #327. Table of Hope’s drive-through event, which serves the Morris County community, was hosted by the County College of Morris, and was supported by Alstede Farms, Bethel Church, Community Food Bank of NJ, the Morris County Sheriff’s Department, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll and First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood said, “We are grateful to the members of our office and our community partners for braving the weather to provide turkeys and food boxes to those in need, and wish everyone in the community a joyous and warm Thanksgiving Day.

Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Staff Attend Criminal Justice Career Fair at Community College of Morris Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Jermaine Marbley, Detective Jazmin Felder, and Agent Gus Amato attended a Criminal Justice Career Fair held at the Community College of Morris on November 19, 2024. The turnout was a success, with hundreds in attendance. To apply for positions and summer 2025 internships with the MCPO, visit https://ow.ly/h7ta50UbUeb

Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sergeant Honored with NAACP Public Service Award On Friday, November 8, 2024, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sgt. Patrick LaGuerre was presented with the NAACP Public Service Award at the 92nd Annual Freedom Fund Awards and Membership Gala. The event was held at the Morris Museum in Morristown. The award was presented by President Vanessa Brown of the Morris County Chapter of the NAACP. Public Service Awards were also presented to Morris County Administrator Deena Leary and retired Patrol Sergeant Beverly Downey, who recently retired from the Morristown Police Department. MCPO Sgt. LaGuerre was also honored with a Joint Legislative Resolution, sponsored by Senator Anthony Bucco, Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, and Assemblyman Christian Barranco, recognizing the Public Service Award. Sgt. LaGuerre was also recognized by Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, Mayor of Morristown Timothy P. Dougherty, and the Morris County Board of Commissioners. Prosecutor Robert Carroll said, “I congratulate Sgt. Patrick LaGuerre on this merited recognition by the NAACP. He is an integral and responsive liaison between the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and the greater community, and strives to connect law enforcement with the people they serve.”

Assistant Prosecutor Michael McDonald, Assistant Prosecutor Michelle Ghali, and Assistant Prosecutor Justin Tellone of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office participated in the Careers in Public Service Open House at Seton Hall University. The open house, which was held on November 13, 2024, attracted numerous students and others who are interested in potential legal careers. Pictured here are AP Justin Tellone and AP Michelle Ghali.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor Rodriguez Recognized as Crisis Intervention Team Coordinator of the Year Morris County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Meg Rodriguez has been chosen as the recipient of the 2023 Coordinator of the Year Award by the Crisis Intervention Team of New Jersey, in recognition of her dedication to the CIT-NJ Morris County Program. The award was presented to CAP Rodriguez during a special dinner ceremony at the Crisis Intervention Team of New Jersey (CIT-NJ) two-day conference in Atlantic City, held on October 28, 2024. Launched in 2021, the Morris County Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) seeks to bring law enforcement, first responders and mental health professionals together to provide a more effective response to those who are dealing with a mental or behavioral health crisis. Morris County’s 40-hour training provides knowledge on different types of mental disorders and conditions – including schizophrenia, depression, developmental disabilities, and autism spectrum. The training is intended to develop skills to promote safe encounters with law enforcement by teaching communication and de-escalation techniques, and enables participants to provide information and access to services that can aid these persons in lieu of incarceration. The curriculum consists of classroom instruction, community site visits and practical exercises delivered by local mental health professionals, CIT law enforcement instructors, and other subject matter experts. Prosecutor Carroll said, “Chief Assistant Prosecutor Rodriguez’s outstanding leadership in the CIT-NJ Morris County Program has ensured its success and has become a model for other counties throughout New Jersey. Combined with our other mental health division efforts, also overseen by CAP Rodriguez, Morris County is on the forefront of improving law enforcement’s response to subjects experiencing mental health crisis and bringing about the best possible outcomes for all involved. I commend the tireless efforts of CAP Rodriguez in making that happen.”

Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon, Hanover Township Chief Michael Loock, Morris Plains Borough Chief of Police Mike Koroski, Morris Township Chief of Police Robert Shearer, and Randolph Township Chief of Police Will Harzula announce the second collection day of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day program yielded 194 pounds and 9 boxes of surrendered medications. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a semi-annual event coordinated nationally by the United States Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in which law enforcement agencies at the state, county, and municipal level work collectively to host National Prescription Drug Take Back Day across the nation. The goal of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is to encourage the public to anonymously turn over unused, unwanted, or expired prescription medicine for proper disposal. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office has partnered with the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, the Hanover Township Police Department, the Morris Plains Borough Police Department, the Morris Township Police Department, and the Randolph Township Police Department in this effort to reduce abuse and misuse of pharmaceutical drugs. At its conclusion, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and Morris County Sheriff’s Office collected the discarded prescription drugs and properly destroy them in a safe and non-hazardous manner. The total weight in materials collected from each location are as follows: ? Shoprite of Greater Morristown: 59 pounds ? Stop and Shop of Morris Plains: 93 pounds ? ACME of Randolph: 42 pounds Total: 194 pounds Combined with the springtime Take Back collection, both Morris County locations yielded a combined 410 pounds this year.

MCPO Missing Persons Unit Awarded Commendations for Unidentified Teenager Investigation Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, and Chief of Detectives Robert McNally issued commendations to members of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Missing Persons Unit for their efforts in identifying an unknown teenager found knocking on a resident’s door in Randolph last spring. The commendations were presented during a ceremony on October 24, 2024. The following members were honored: Morris County Prosecutor’s Office ? Chief Assistant Prosecutor Tia Manochio ? Sergeant Janine Buchalski ? Detective Supervisor Stephanie Merced ? Detective Tom Spautz ? Detective Jason Gould ? Amanda Brewster On May 31, 2024, the Randolph Police notified the MCPO Missing Persons Unit that they received a 911 call regarding an unidentified person banging on a resident’s door. The unidentified person, believed to be a juvenile, gave limited information as to their identity. What followed was a lengthy investigation to identify the individual, which necessitated collaboration with several law enforcement and partner agencies, ultimately sending MCPO investigators to several dead ends around the country for weeks. A break in the case came when Det. Gould, utilizing social media, discovered a lead which pointed investigators to Ontario, Canada. Canadian authorities were able to identify the person found in Randolph as a 17-year-old juvenile who came into the United States illegally and had a juvenile history. On July 23, 2024, after weeks of working with multiple agencies in the United States and Canada, the juvenile was remanded into custody and eventually transported from Newark International Airport to Halifax, Canada, where the teenager was taken into custody by Canadian authorities. Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said, “This was a difficult case with several obstacles and dead ends. However, the members of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office were relentless in identifying this wayward teenager, and ultimately, justly apprehending and transferring them to the appropriate agency. We also recognized the many law enforcement and partner agencies which lead to the closure of this case, including the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, New Jersey State Missing Persons Unit, and various agencies in New York, Delaware, Tennessee, and New Jersey.”

Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, Hanover Township Police Chief Michael Loock, and Randolph Police Chief Will Harzula announce Morris County’s regional ARRIVE Together program has expanded to Hanover Township and Randolph Township. This is the third pilot program that is operating in Morris County. The first included police departments in Madison, Morristown, Morris Township, and Morris Plains. The second included Denville, Montville, Parsippany, and Roxbury. Partnering with the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris Counties, the ARRIVE Together program (Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence & Escalation) seeks to help police de-escalate situations, provide immediate and follow-up support to individuals in crisis and ensure the safety of both the community and the responding officers. Clinicians from the Mental Health Association (MHA) have been working with participating municipal police departments to offer assistance to adults and juveniles and their families to connect with a range of supportive services, including not only behavioral and mental health access, but also substance use treatment, housing assistance and related issues to help reduce the likelihood of future interactions with law enforcement and greater success in improving their health and well-being. ARRIVE Together - Morris is currently active in Madison, Denville, Hanover, Montville, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Morristown, Parsippany, Randolph and Roxbury. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office is working towards expanding the program throughout the entire county to enhance law enforcement’s responses to those in need. Funding for the programming is being provided through a statewide grant facilitated by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. According to the Office of the Attorney General’s ARRIVE Together Data Dashboard, as of the end of September, Morris County has had a total of 417 ARRIVE Together interactions since December 2021. Members of the ARRIVE Together program have been active in engaging in community outreach throughout Morris County, attending services at Union Baptist Church in Morristown on September 15, 2024, Bottle Hill Day in Madison on October 5, 2024, and National Coming Out Day in Morristown on October 12, 2024. Prosecutor Carroll said, “Law enforcement’s response to subjects experiencing a mental health crisis is evolving. Alongside our Crisis Intervention Training and MCPO’s Mental Health and Veteran’s Diversion Program, ARRIVE Together is evidence of significant advancement. We are already experiencing positive results from this unifying relationship between law enforcement and the Mental Health Association. I am extremely confident that the expansion of response tools will continue to have a positive impact on subjects in crisis, connecting them with the best possible remedial alternatives.”

Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Promotes Support Staffer to Detective Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, and Chief of Detectives Robert McNally announce that a member of the support staff team, Michael Sanford, has been hired as a Detective for the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. A swearing in ceremony was held on Monday, October 7, 2024 Detective Sanford will be assigned to the Professional Standards, Insurance Fraud, and Financial Crimes Units within the Specialized Crimes Division. He will attend the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy in the winter. Detective Sanford initially joined the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in April 2023 as a support staff member, assisting detectives in the Financial Crimes and Professional Standards Units with investigations, preparing case files, drafting correspondence for municipal police departments, and ensuring accurate case dispositions. He previously worked as a superintendent helper, Sarbanes-Oxley audit intern, tax preparer, and shift supervisor. Detective Sanford is also a captain with the Parsippany-Troy Hills Fire District #6, having served since 2016. Detective Sanford graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Accounting and from the County College of Morris with an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. Prosecutor Carroll said, “I am proud to promote a hard-working member of our team to an investigative role.”

Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Attends Bottle Hill Day 2024 Members of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office attended Madison’s Bottle Hill Day, an annual fall street festival held in the heart of the borough. Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024 marked the 49th anniversary of this signature event.