MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners is calling on the federal government to marshal all federal resources at its disposal, including the military, to end the unauthorized flight of drones over our county and other parts of New Jersey.

We believe this to be a matter of national security, and as such our federal government has a duty to the people of New Jersey and the rest of the nation to identify the source of this incursion, be completely transparent about what is happening, put an end to the drones that have so alarmed our communities and implement the appropriate safeguards to protect our air space and our people, now and in the future.

Morris County and our communities have deployed considerable resources daily since the first drones were spotted.

We continue to support the round-the-clock efforts of our Prosecutor’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Law & Public Safety in monitoring the drones and responding to reports from residents as well as local law enforcement. Our county agencies have worked diligently with local police chiefs as well as the State Police, the New Jersey Department of Homeland Security & Preparedness, and the FBI in the hopes of bringing calm to this situation and finding answers.

It is amply clear, beyond the fact that FAA regulations prevent our law enforcement agencies from taking any defensive action regarding the errant drones, that only the federal government, with its enormous resources and pre-eminent technology, has the authority to clear our skies of this mounting threat to our public safety.  As elected officials, servicemen, and women you are failing to abide by the oath you took to protect us from enemies, foreign and domestic.  You must rectify this situation.

We need action now. Our residents deserve nothing less. America deserves nothing less.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Advisory Committee on Women is now accepting nominations for its 6^th Annual “Seeds of Change” Volunteer Award, which will be presented March 2025 to a nominee who has volunteered to improve the community and who has been a leader and inspiration to other women in the county.

Nominations may be submitted through Jan. 6, 2025. The Morris County Advisory Committee on Women is asking that all nominations be submitted online.

The “Seeds of Change” Volunteer Award was inspired by the late State Sen. Leanna Brown, who passed in 2016.  This honor is intended to highlight and celebrate women who build up other women, and that includes those who volunteer at the grassroots levels in the community.

Ms. Brown served on the Chatham Borough Council from 1969 to 1972. She was the first woman elected to the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders (now the Board of County Commissioners), becoming the Director in 1976. In 1978, she was named president of the New Jersey Association of Counties.

In 1983, Ms. Brown was also the first Republican woman elected to the New Jersey Senate. She was a champion of women’s causes and a mentor to many women who sought to join the political and electoral process. Ms. Brown also was the driving force behind the county’s creation of the Morris County Advisory Committee on Women.

The “Seed of Change” Volunteer Award was first issued in April 2018 and has been bestowed every year except 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior winners include:

2018 – Lila Bernstein of Mendham Township

2019 – Phyllis Chanda of Flanders

2022 – Mary Ledyard of Rockaway Borough

2023 – Alice Cutler of Morristown

2024 – Debby Seme of Martinsville

It is preferred, but not required, that the nominee be linked with volunteering for a cause of current interest to the Advisory Committee on Women. Current areas of interest include housing and homelessness, human trafficking, incarcerated women, women in the military, female veterans, and other areas that impact women. 

For additional information, please contact Sydney Ugalde at [email protected] no later than January 6, 2025. The individual selected to receive the honor will be contacted after the deadline and invited to attend the Seeds of Change Award Ceremony at a March 2025 meeting of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners.

MORRIS COUNTY — Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco (R-25) is demanding action from the Biden administration after drone sightings in New York prompted Orange County airport to temporarily shut down.

“Enough is enough. The Biden administration’s feeble response to these unidentified drones in New Jersey and New York is going to end up in tragedy. I am tired of demanding answers, it is time for action. This has gone on for way too long. The blatant display of disrespect to the American people is a glowing example of the Biden administration’s incompetence and failure to prioritize our national security. “

“If one injury or tragedy occurs as a result of these mysterious drones, the blame will rest solely on the negligent hands of President Biden and his administration. The time for excuses has passed. It is time for the FBI and FAA to take decisive action. The American people deserve no less.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County broke ground this week on a new multipurpose facility on the grounds of the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy to provide improved space for the Office of Public Health as well as garage and storage areas for the county’s key emergency response vehicles, personal protection gear, and life-saving equipment.

The project, located off West Hanover Avenue in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, is being financed through federal American Rescue Plan Act funding earmarked for improving Morris County’s public health facilities and the county’s ability to respond and prepare for public emergencies. The storage area will house vehicles and equipment from the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Law and Public Safety, including the Office of Public Health and Office of Emergency Management.

The facility, which will be approximately 65,540 square feet, will cost about $18 million.

The building, in part, will improve operational space, including meeting rooms and storage facilities, for the Office of Public Health as well as expand the county’s ability to house important response vehicles and centralize locations for emergency equipment. The Office of Public Health is currently located in a former armory building a short distance up West Hanover Avenue. That building will eventually be upgraded and repurposed for other county operations.

Site work began last week, and construction is expected to begin soon.

MORRIS COUNTY — Sheriff James M. Gannon and the officers of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Labor Unions expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Larry Cutalo, President of the Morris County Bar Association, for his generous support of this year’s holiday toy drive.

Cutalo personally delivered a collection of new, unwrapped toys gathered by the Bar Association during their annual holiday party. These toys will be distributed to children in need, bringing joy and hope to families facing challenges this holiday season.

“This is what the holiday spirit is all about—coming together to support those who need it most,” said Sheriff Gannon. “We are incredibly grateful to Larry Cutalo and the Morris County Bar Association for their efforts and generosity in making this year’s toy drive a success.”

The Morris County Bar Association’s commitment to the community and their annual tradition of collecting toys for children less fortunate exemplifies the spirit of giving and service. The partnership between the Bar Association and the Sheriff’s Office has made a meaningful impact, ensuring that children in the county have a brighter holiday.

If you would like to contribute to the MCSO’s ongoing holiday initiatives, donations of new, unwrapped toys are still being accepted at various drop-off points throughout Morris County.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert M. McNally, and Morristown Police Chief Darnell Richardson confirmed that a jury has found Alexander Masariego-Flores, 45, formerly of Morristown, guilty of sexual offenses related to his sexual abuse of a child on multiple occasions between February and September of 2023.

The jury returned guilty verdicts on December 6, following a three-day trial. The defendant was found guilty of three counts of first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, two counts of second-degree Sexual Assault, and two counts of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child. He was found not guilty of one count of first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault.

The Honorable Claudia R. Jones, J.S.C., presided over the trial and scheduled a sentencing hearing in the matter for February 21, 2025. The defendant will remain in custody until that time.

At sentencing, the Aggravated Sexual Assault convictions will be subject to the provisions of the Jessica Lunsford Act, which makes the defendant ineligible for parole for at least twenty-five years, and the Sexual Assault convictions will be subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act (NERA), which makes the defendant ineligible for parole until he has served 85% of the sentence imposed. Additionally, the defendant will be subject to Megan’s Law registration requirements and the Special Sentence of Parole Supervision for Life.

On September 16, 2023, the Morristown Police Department received a referral regarding the sexual abuse of a child. Thereafter, members of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit and the Morristown Police Department investigated the referral. The investigation revealed the defendant sexually abused a child on multiple occasions between February and September 2023 at her home in Morristown, and that he sexually abused the child on one occasion in front of another child.

Prosecutor Carroll would like to thank and acknowledge the agencies that participated in the investigation that led to the successful guilty verdicts, including the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit, the Morristown Police Department, and the Morris County Sheriff’s Department. The Prosecutor commended Assistant Prosecutor Alyssa DiSturco, Assistant Prosecutor Tina DiFranco, Detective Raquelin Perea, and all others who contributed to the investigation and successful prosecution in this case.