MEGAN’S LAW OFFENDER ARRESTED FOR FAILING TO REGISTER MOVE TO OCEAN COUNTY
During the week of October 26, 2015, Detective Adam J. Hess of the Megan’s Law Unit of the Special Investigations Bureau of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into Gregory J. Torrez, Jr., 38, for the third (3rd) degree crime of failure to register pursuant to Megan’s Law. Registrants are required by New Jersey state law to either register annually or every ninety (90) days with the police department of the municipality in which they reside.
The investigation revealed that Torrez failed to register with the Toms River Township Police Department after moving here from Monmouth County. Toms River now remains Torrez’ current residential municipality. An arrest warrant was reviewed and approved by Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Ehsan F. Chowdhry designating the charge. Assistant Prosecutor Chowdhry and Detective A. Hess presented the affidavit in support of an arrest warrant to the Honorable Wendel E. Daniels, P.J.Cr. of the Ocean County Superior Court who approved signing of the complaint and set bail at $35,000 no 10% on Thursday October 29, 2015.
Detective A. Hess, Sergeant Michael V. Cecchini of the Megan’s Law Unit of the Special Investigations Bureau of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Senior New Jersey State Parole Officer Jessica Swarer located Torrez in Lakewood Township and took him into custody without incident at approximately 11:20 am on Thursday (10/29). Torrez was transported to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, processed and remanded to the county jail’s custody pending posting bail and presentment of the charge to an Ocean County Grand Jury.
The criminal complaint is now turned over for prosecution by Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Ehsan F. Chowdhry. Torrez is facing the third (3rd) degree crime of failure to register pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C:7-2d(1). These statutes (N.J.S.A. 2C:7-1 through 2C:7-23) were passed on Monday October 31, 1994 by the New Jersey Legislature and are interchangeably referred to as Megan’s Law and / or Registration and Community Notification Laws. Ordinarily, the maximum potential punishment on this third (3rd) degree crime is 5 years in New Jersey State Prison with up to a $15,000 fine.
Anyone with relevant information should contact Detective Adam J. Hess at (732) 929 2027 extension 2597. The information may be given anonymously. At this time there is no information on whether the defendant has an attorney. This charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty or found guilty in a court of law.
GREGORY J. TORREZ, JR
Follow the Office of the Ocean County Prosecutor online at Twitter and Facebook. The social media links provided are for reference only. The OCPO does not endorse any non-governmental websites, companies or applications. For additional information visit our website at oceancountyprosecutor.org.