Sussex County Prosecutor

Dec. 9 Nicole A. Linfoot, 23, of Vernon was sentenced to three years probation and 270 days in jail. She must also undergo an alcohol and drug evaluation, obtain employment, submit her DNA and pay Court costs and fines. She pled guilty on Sept. 26, 2011 to theft and possession of heroin, crimes of the third degree. She admitted to taking jewelry from the home of a Vernon resident that she was staying with at the time as well as being in possession of heroin. Kevin M. Knarr, 29, of Hopatcong was sentenced to four years probation and 364 days Sussex County Jail with credit for 140 days. He pled guilty on Sept. 26 to criminal mischief, a third degree crime. Alexander Kepfinger, 23, of Newton, was sentenced to two years probation and 120 days in jail. He must also undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation, obtain employment, submit his DNA and pay court costs and fines. He pled guilty on Oct. 11 to third degree burglary and fourth degree theft. He admitted to entering a West End Avenue residence and removed an X-Box Game System. Dec. 12 Vivian Torres, 33, of Budd Lake pled guilty to aggravated assault, a third degree crime. Sentencing is presently anticipated for Feb. 17, 2012. Steven Marks, 52, of Saratoga Springs, NY, pled guilty to failure to register under Megan’s Law, a fourth degree crime. Sentencing is presently anticipated for Feb. 17, 2012. Melissa A. Lapinski, 32, of Landing pled guilty to shoplifting, a crime of the fourth degree, and to the disorderly persons offense of receiving stolen property. Sentencing is presently anticipated for Feb. 17, 2012. In pleading guilty, Lapinski admitted that on May 13, 2010 she took items from a Rite-Aid in Hopatcong and attempted to leave the store without paying for them. She further admitted that she aided another person in the selling of a GPS unit that had been stolen from a residence in Sparta on July 31, 2010. John Swarts, 59, of Sussex pled guilty to one count of leaving the scene of an accident, a third degree crime. On or about July 15, 2010 the defendant, an unlicensed driver, struck a bicyclist with his vehicle and did not stop to help the victim. Fawn C. Talmadge, 30, of Montague, pled guilty to third degree theft. Sentencing is presently anticipated for Feb. 17, 2012. In August the defendant, along with a co-defendant, took various auto parts from LukOil in Montague then sold them to a scrap yard for cash.