County Prosecutor

November 14 An indictment charges John E. Hall Jr., age 22, of Sussex, with 4th degree theft. The case was investigated by Det. G. Lewis of the New Jersey State Police. The indictment alleges that on Feb. 9, Hall stole a wallet containing approximately $300. A Grand Jury indictment is a charge only. The defendant is presumed innocent until guilt may be proved at a jury trial November 17 Christopher Grieves, age 25, of Andover, was sentenced to two years probation, 58 days credit for time served in jail, $2,008 in fines and a six-month loss of driver’s license. He pled guilty on Oct. 2 to two counts of third degree possession of heroin and motor vehicle tickets for DWI and failure to maintain lamps. He admitted to possessing four bags of heroin during a motor vehicle stop by Byram Police Officer Daniel DeWald on June 11. He admitted that he consumed heroin before operating the vehicle and had been pulled over because he had a broken tail light. He also admitted that on May 20, he possessed ten bags of heroin that were seized by Byram Police Sgt. Guy Mariani. Israel Cummings, age 21, formerly of Newton, was sentenced to three years probation, 364 days in the county jail, $1,205 in fines, a substance abuse evaluation and treatment and a six-month loss of driver’s license. He pled guilty on Oct. 2 to third degree possession with the intent to distribute cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school. He admitted to possessing ten bags of cocaine on July 6 in Newton and that he intended to distribute them to others. The matter was investigated by Det. Neil Casey of the Newton Police Dept. An indictment charges Keith S. Nagy, age 46, of Fredon, with third degree Theft by Deception. The case was investigated by Trooper M. Agens of the New Jersey State Police. Nagy, acting as a contractor, accepted $3,500 from a customer to install a fence and never completed the work or even purchased materials to perform the job. A Grand Jury indictment is a charge only. The defendant is presumed innocent until guilt may be proved at a jury trial. Russell Schabacker, age 46, of Newton, was sentenced to six years New Jersey State Prison. He pled guilty on Sept. 26 to Theft by Deception, a 4th degree crime, two counts of Burglary, a 3rd degree crime and Possession of CDS (cocaine), a 3rd degree crime. On Dec. 22, 2005, Schabacker broke into the VFW in Newton with the purpose of stealing alcohol. Later that same night, he smashed the window of Newton Photo Plaza and stole more than $12,000 in lottery tickets. Schabacker’s attempt to claim money from the winning tickets the next morning was unsuccessful. In addition, on Sept. 17, 2005, Schabacker fraudulently obtained alcohol from Shoprite Liquors in Newton by using a stolen check. Also, on July 3, 2005, he was arrested for possession of heroin. Robert Douglass, age 30, of Vernon, was sentenced to three years probation, with the condition that he serve a 90-day jail term; 87 days can be served on the Sheriffs Labor Assistance Program. The defendant was also ordered to obtain a mental health evaluation to determine if he had a compulsion to steal. He pled guilty on Sept. 26, to theft, a 4th degree crime. Douglass entered the property of Sanders Excavating in Vernon and stole a grease gun valued at roughly $300. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to pay $500 in restitution. An indictment charges Corey VanHorn, age 28, of Sussex, with 3rd degree Burglary and 3rd degree Theft. The case was investigated by Det. Joseph Salokas of the New Jersey State Police. The Indictment alleges that on Jan. 8, VanHorn broke into Dow Tire in Wantage Township and stole $537 from the cash register. A Grand Jury indictment is a charge only. The defendant is presumed innocent until guilt may be proved at a jury trial. Matthew R. Dawson, age 23, of Wantage, pled guilty to three (3) counts of forgery, all 4th degree crimes. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15. Between Sept. 13 and Oct. 5 in Hardyston Township, Dawson took checks from his then employer, made the checks out to himself and/or cash, forged the owner’s signature to the checks and cashed them. November 20 A juvenile pled guilty on Sept. 14 to third degree burglary and third degree theft and was adjudicated a juvenile delinquent by the court. The juvenile, age 16, of Wantage, was sentenced to two years probation on condition that he serve 48 days in the Juvenile Detention Center, have no contact with the victim or co-defendant, pay restitution to the victim in the amount of $1,512 and pay court fines of $75. The juvenile, along with a juvenile co-defendant, broke into a home taking a handgun, knives, jewelry and money belonging to the victim. The handgun was recovered a week later in the Wallkill River. A juvenile pled guilty on September 14, to third degree burglary and third degree theft. The juvenile was adjudicated a juvenile delinquent by the court, The juvenile, age 15, of Sussex, was sentenced to two years probation on condition that he serve 60 days in the Juvenile Detention Center, pay restitution of $1,512 to the victim, have no contact with the victim or co-defendant, submit a DNA sample and pay court fines. The juvenile, along with a juvenile co-defendant, broke into a home taking a handgun, knives, jewelry and money belonging to the victim. The handgun was recovered a week later in the Wallkill River.