RECENT OC ARRESTS FOR FAILING TO REGISTER PURSUANT TO MEGAN’S LAW
During the week of November 23, 2015, Detective John M. Argento of the Megan’s Law Unit of the Special Investigations Bureau of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, in conjunction with Public Service Assistant Lew Thompson of the Toms River Township Police Department, opened an investigation into sixty (60) year old Joseph A. Randazzo 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 Randazzo failed to register with the Toms River Township Police Department as required by statute. An arrest warrant was reviewed and approved by Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Ehsan F. Chowdhry designating the above charge.
Later that day, Detective Argento, Sergeant Michael V. Cecchini of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Patrolman Shan Ruiz of the Toms River Township Police Department located and arrested Randazzo without incident the same day at his residence in Toms River. Randazzo remains in custody pending posting bail set at $10,000 no 10%.
Randazzo is facing the third (3rd) degree crime of failure to register pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C:7-2e. 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 five (5) years in New Jersey State Prison with up to a $15,000 fine.
Anyone with relevant information should contact Detective John M. Argento at (732) 929 2027 Ext. 2903. The information may be given anonymously. At this time there is no information on whether the defendant has an attorney.
JOSEPH RANDAZZO
In a second unrelated case, during the week of November 23, 2015, Sergeant Michael V. Cecchini of the Megan’s Law Unit of the Special Investigations Bureau of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, in conjunction with the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department, opened an investigation into forty-four (44) year old Elmer Falcon for the third (3rd) degree crime of failure to register pursuant to Megan’s Law. Falcon is presently incarcerated in the Ocean County Justice Facility with a bail of $200,000 no 10% as a result of separate charges stemming from his arrest on 11/22 on charges of first (1st) degree aggravated sexual assault, second (2nd) degree sexual assault and second (2nd) degree endangering the welfare of a child. That matter was pursued by Detective Lindsay Woodfield of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and Detective Joel Mahr of the Little Egg Township Police Department.
The current investigation revealed that Falcon failed to register with the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department as required to do so annually. An arrest warrant was reviewed and approved by Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Ehsan F. Chowdhry designating the charge for failure to register. Sergeant Cecchini presented the affidavit in support of an arrest warrant to the Court that approved signing of the complaint and set bail at $25,000 no 10% on Tuesday November 24, 2015. Sergeant Cecchini served Falcon in the Ocean County Justice Facility on Tuesday November 24, 2015. Falcon remains in custody pending posting bail and presentment of this charge to an Ocean County Grand Jury.
Anyone with relevant information should contact Sergeant Michael V. Cecchini at (732) 929 2027 Ext. 7918. The information may be given anonymously. At this time there is no information on whether the defendant has an attorney.
ELMER FALCON
The media and the public are reminded that criminal charges are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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