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William E. Bennett

Registrant Violator Arrested

During the week of August 17, 2015, the Megan’s Law Unit of the Special Investigations Bureau of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation at the direction of Detective / Sergeant Michael V. Cecchini into William E. Bennett, 34, of Howell Township for the third (3rd) degree crime of Failure to Register.

Megan’s Law Registrants are required by New Jersey State Law to notify the incoming and outgoing police departments of their intention to change their address within 10 days. 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 were 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.

The investigation revealed that Bennett changed his address to Howell, New Jersey, without registering out of the Toms River Police Department which was his last known listed address. An arrest warrant was reviewed and approved by Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Ehsan F. Chowdhry and the Honorable Wendel E. Daniels, P.J.Cr. of the Ocean County Superior Court approved signing of the complaint authorizing the charge and setting bail set at $30,000 no 10%.

Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office’s Megan’s Law Detective John M. Argento, along with Detective / Sergeant Michael V. Cecchini, acted on the arrest warrant that was signed Wednesday August 19, 2015. They located and arrested Bennett during the morning hours of Thursday August 20, 2015 in Howell Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. He was arrested without incident for the third (3rd) degree crime of Failure to Register pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C:7-2d(1).

Bennett was remanded to the county jail’s custody pending posting bail and / or presentment to an Ocean County Grand Jury. The matter will be turned over for prosecution by Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Ehsan F. Chowdhry.

Anyone with relevant information should contact Detective John M. Argento at (732) 929 2027 extension 2903. 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 a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty or found guilty in a court of law.

William E. BennettWilliam E. Bennett

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