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Arrested: Juvenile, age 17, of Sparta, NJ. < Back Juvenile arrested for possession of LSD in courthouse Arrested: Juvenile, age 17, of Sparta, NJ. Previous Next On Thursday, March 31, 2011, while attempting to enter the Sussex County Superior Courthouse in Newton, a juvenile was found to be in possession of LSD, a controlled dangerous substance. Sheriff’s Officer Tim Hecht and Sheriff’s Officer Richard Nicola attempted to place the juvenile under arrest. The juvenile, a 17-year-old male from Sparta Township, physically resisted. After a brief struggle, sheriff’s officers Hecht and Nicola were able to subdue the individual and take him into custody. As a result, he was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and resisting arrest. He is currently lodged in the Morris County Juvenile Detention Center without bail. Sheriff’s officers Hecht and Nicola both sustained minor injuries during the encounter.

Forty-nine students completed the 10-week program taught by sheriff’s officers. < Back Fredon Township School D.A.R.E. Graduation Forty-nine students completed the 10-week program taught by sheriff’s officers. Previous Next Fredon Township School recently held a graduation for the 49 students who completed the 10-week Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program taught by Sussex County Sheriff’s Officer Ed Galinski and Sheriff’s Corporal Dan Storey. The D.A.R.E. curriculum is designed to teach schoolchildren in kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive, drug- and violence-free lives. It is taught by law enforcement officers whose training and experience give them the background needed to answer the sophisticated questions often posed by young students about drugs and crime. Prior to joining the D.A.R.E. program, officers must undergo 80 hours of specialized training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques and communication skills. Forty hours of additional training are provided to D.A.R.E. instructors to prepare them to teach the high school curriculum. Each year, the sheriff’s office sends D.A.R.E. trained sheriff’s officers to eight participating schools within the county to teach the program. This year alone, 643 students throughout the county have graduated from the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office D.A.R.E. program. According to the D.A.R.E. America web site , D.A.R.E. has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in 75 percent of our nation’s school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world. D.A.R.E. instructor Sheriff’s Officer Edmund Galinski and his graduating class of students from the Fredon Township Elementary School.

Richard Gannon vs Lauren Russell < Back Upcoming sheriff’s sale of assets Richard Gannon vs Lauren Russell Previous Next Docket #FM 19-39-05 Richard Gannon vs Lauren Russell On Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 11:00 a.m., the following asset will be sold at a public sale on the premises of AA-1 Storage located at 155 Brooks Flat Road, Ogdensburg, NJ: One 2006 Caterpillar 303.5 Excavator, Vin #VDMY00785 This sale was previously scheduled to take place March 12 and then March 15, 2013. All items are sold in an ‘as is’ condition. Purchaser must pay purchase price at the time of sale in cash or certified check made payable to the Sussex County Sheriff and remove the items following the sale. The sheriff reserves the right to adjourn these sales; the foregoing scheduled dates are subject to change. For more information. contact the Civil Process Unit at 973.579.0850.

The Office of Emergency Management has put out an advisory regarding the impending winter storm. < Back About the impending winter storm from OEM The Office of Emergency Management has put out an advisory regarding the impending winter storm. Previous Next The Sussex County Office of Emergency Management has been monitoring the approaching storm. We have been in continual communications with the our partners at the National Weather Service in Mt. Holly, NJOEM, JCP&L, Sussex Rural Electric and our twenty-four municipal offices of emergency management. We will continue these communications in an effort to promote situational awareness and provide guidance for countywide planning efforts. A winter storm warning is in effect from 1 PM today until 1 PM on Friday for most of New Jersey and 1 PM today until 1 PM Friday for northernmost New Jersey. Snow accumulation will range from 6 to 10 inches. Impacts Travel will become hazardous late Thursday as snow increases. This will be an increasingly fluffy snow and as winds increase Thursday night, blowing and drifting snow will make travel even more hazardous. Road plowing operations will be greatly affected, especially due to blowing and drifting snow and also snowfall rates near an inch per hour at times during the height of the storm Thursday night. Temperatures 20s to lower 30s Thursday, then dropping into the teens and single digits Thursday night into Friday. Wind Chills The combination of very cold temperatures and gusty winds later Thursday night will create dangerous wind chills ranging from 5 below to 20 below zero. The higher elevations should have the most dangerous wind chills. Humans and animals exposed to these extreme temeratures for any length of time will be in grave danger therefore, outdoor exposure should be minimized if possible. Frozen pipes in unprotected areas and concrete and asphalt pavement cracking can also be expected. Precautionary/Preparedness Actions A winter storm warning means severe winter weather conditions are expected. Heavy snow, blowing snow and dangerously cold wind chills are forecast. Travel will become dangerous. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. Due caution should be exercised while traveling on roadways effected by snow accumulation. We will continue to provide updates on our Facebook page

Join the race against crime on September 15, 2018 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. < Back Crime Stoppers 5K/12K Run to be held September 15 Join the race against crime on September 15, 2018 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. Previous Next Sussex County Sheriff’s Crime Stoppers 5K/12K Saturday, September 15, 2018 Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ Race Start Time: 9:30 a.m. Join hundreds of runner/walkers and supporters in the race against crime at the Sussex County Fairgrounds on Saturday, September 15, 2018. Pre-register by September 1 , and the fee is $25 for either the 5K Run/Walk or 12K Run. After September 1 through race day, the fee is $30 for either race. Goody bags will be provided to all 5K and 12K runners/walkers while supplies last. Awards will be given to the top three male and female winners overall, the top three teams and by age groups. Enjoy food, drinks and entertainment after the event. Race proceeds will benefit the Sussex County Sheriff’s Crime Stoppers, a nonprofit corporation funded by contributions from local businesses and citizens at no cost to the taxpayer. Individuals who have information relating to a crime or criminal activity in the Sussex County, New Jersey area can receive up to a $1,000.00 cash reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of criminals. Tips may be submitted anonymously via the Crime Stoppers hotline at 973.300.CRIME or online anonymous tip form. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Thorlabs as well as our other participating sponsors. Have questions or need more information about the event? Contact Hilary Manser at 973.579.0850, ext. 2114.

Sheriff Michael F. Strada is pleased to announce a new program being offered to senior citizens in our county. < Back New TRIAD senior wristband program debuts Sheriff Michael F. Strada is pleased to announce a new program being offered to senior citizens in our county. Previous Next Sheriff Michael F. Strada is pleased to announce a new program being offered to senior citizens in our county. Upon request, Sussex County TRIAD will now provide black and gold silicone wristbands to every senior citizen of Sussex County free of charge. The bands are engraved with “SC Sheriff 973-579-0888” and a registration number. That number will be used to register all participating senior citizens with the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office should the senior citizen be unable to communicate with emergency personnel. The TRIAD organization will obtain and keep secure the following from the senior citizen: name, address, phone number, emergency contact persons and the senior’s physician information. This information will be available to assist any police, fire and EMS agency by calling the telephone number on the band and giving the dispatcher the registration number. This will assist any first responder in identifying a senior citizen in need who may be unable to communicate with the responder. Several businesses and individual donors have come forward to sponsor the cost of the program. The successful implementation of this program was made possible, in large part, thanks to the generous donations of the following Sussex County businesses: The Senior Quality of Life Foundation (SEQUAL) Smith-McCracken Funeral Home The Morville Agency, a Division of Bollinger Insurance Illiff-Ruggiero Funeral Home The Mitchell Agency If you are interested in learning more about the TRIAD program or are interested in sponsoring the wristband program, please contact Hilary Manser at the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office at 973.579.0850, ext. 2114. From l to r: Louis R. Ruggiero, CEO Iliff-Ruggiero Funeral Home and SEQUAL trustee; Maryann Fox, SEQUAL trustee; Tom Caines, SEQUAL president and trustee; Sussex County Sheriff Michael Strada; Maryanne Klenke, SEQUAL trustee; Lorraine Hentz, SEQUAL trustee; Cindy Peterson, SEQUAL treasurer and trustee; and Denise Minimi, SEQUAL secretary and trustee.

The SOG broke the last reported record on the truck pull. < Back Special Operations Group participates in truck pull The SOG broke the last reported record on the truck pull. Previous Next The Sussex County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Corrections Special Operations Group (SOG) participated in a fundraising event hosted by the Military Transport Association (MTA) in order to raise funds and awareness for local family readiness groups and soldiers in the Army National Guard 143rd Transportation Unit. The event took place on April 23, 2017 as part of a larger swap meet and military vehicle show. One of the event organizers, Randy Emr, a local military supporter and fundraiser with the MTA, was brought to tears seeing the Army, Boy Scouts of America Troop 188, law enforcement, local gyms and general team assemblies come together for laughs and fun in order to support a great cause. The Special Operations Group broke the last reported record on the truck pull with a time of 13.9 seconds to pull the 20,000lb historic military truck a distance of 100 feet. The previous record was around the 16 second range, states Randy Emr. The Boy Scouts came in as a very close second with a time of 15.4 seconds with a little help from a couple of their friends in SOG who tactically inserted themselves behind the truck for a boost. Mark Farsi, warden of the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility, cordially invites any other law enforcement teams to come and try to take the trophy next year, all in the name of camaraderie and a good cause. Sussex County Sheriff Mike Strada thanks our service members, veterans, their families and the event organizers for allowing the sheriff’s office to be part of a great event in support of the community. Warden Mark Farsi, surrounded by members of the SOG team and members of the military, holds up the trophy.

The monetary donation was used to purchase equipment for the program. < Back Project Lifesaver receives donation from Division of Senior Services The monetary donation was used to purchase equipment for the program. Previous Next Sheriff Strada recently accepted a donation on behalf of his office from the Sussex County Division of Senior Services. The monetary donation was used to purchase Project Lifesaver equipment, including a mobile locator tracking system. Project Lifesaver is an international program that assists sheriff’s personnel in locating individuals who have wandered away from home due to Alzheimer’s, autism, Down syndrome, dementia and other related cognitive disorders. The Sussex County Sheriff’s Office has offered the Project Lifesaver program to county residents since 2005. Citizens enrolled in Project Lifesaver wear a small personal transmitter around their wrist or ankle that emits an individualized tracking signal. If an enrolled client goes missing, the caregiver notifies the sheriff’s office and a trained emergency team responds to the wanderer’s area to begin searching using a mobile locator tracking system. Most who wander are found within a few miles of their homes and search times for these individuals have been reduced from hours and days to minutes. The average recovery time to locate a Project Lifesaver client is 30 minutes—that’s 95% less time than standard recovery operations. The Sussex County Division of Senior Services is a county department mandated by the federal government as part of the Older Americans Act. It serves as a connection for the elderly to services and programs designed to support seniors’ independence and quality of life. The mission of the division is to enable older individuals and/or their caregivers to choose from a coordinated system of services that allows seniors to live as independently as possible in their homes and in their communities while enjoying a dignified quality of life. Sheriff Strada, expressing his gratitude for the donation, thanked Lorraine Hentz for her agency’s continued commitment to improving the quality of life for our county’s seniors. (L to R) Sgt. Krista Galante, Project Lifesaver Coordinator, Lorraine Hentz, Director of the Sussex County Division of Senior Services, and Sheriff Michael F. Strada display the equipment purchased with the donated funds.

Three corrections officers were recently promoted. < Back Bureau of Corrections promotes three officers Three corrections officers were recently promoted. Previous Next Sheriff Michael F. Strada is pleased to announce the promotions of three officers within the Bureau of Corrections. Corrections Officer James Aumick has been promoted to the rank of corporal. He is a 1998 graduate of Wallkill Valley Regional High School and lifelong resident of Sussex County. A 15-year veteran of the Bureau of Corrections, Corporal Aumick began his law enforcement career in September 2002 when he was hired by the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer. Corporal Aumick is a graduate of the Passaic County Police Academy Basic County Corrections Officer Training Class of 2003. A dedicated employee to the County of Sussex, Corporal Aumick has been assigned to the Sheriff’s SLAP/SWAP program for the past six years and is very well respected in our communities for his dedicated service to this program. Corporal Aumick has also been used and will continue to be used for many of our emergency operations here at the jail. He will remain assigned to the SLAP/SWAP Program. Corrections Officer Todd Blohm has been promoted to the rank of sergeant. Sergeant Blohm was hired in 2009 and attended Passaic County Police Academy. He is a member of the bureau’s Special Operations Group and actively assists with a variety of specialized tasks. Sergeant Blohm has been awarded the Meritorious Service Award, and was also named Employee of the Month in June of 2016. Sergeant Blohm’s professionalism, work ethic and leadership abilities are an asset to the department and we wish him the best of luck as he embarks on a new phase of his career. Corrections Officer Sean Long has been promoted to the rank of corporal. Corporal Long is a graduate of Port Jervis High School and also a graduate of Sussex County Community College with an associate’s degree in criminal justice. A 15-year veteran of the Bureau of Corrections, Corporal Long began his law enforcement career in September 2002 when he was hired by the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer. Corporal Long is a graduate of the Passaic County Police Academy Basic County Corrections Officer Training Class of 2004. Corporal Long has received numerous commendations throughout his career including one in 2011 where Corporal Long’s lifesaving skills contributed to an inmate surviving a suicide attempt. Corporal Long’s professional abilities and his attention to detail has resulted over the years in the numerous findings and prevention of contraband in our facility. Pictured from left to right: Corporal James Aumick, Sergeant Todd Blohm, Corporal Sean Long, Sheriff Michael F. Strada.

Sussex County Sheriff Michael Strada is saddened to announce the death of retired K9 Roxi, our narcotics detection Canine, who died unexpectedly on Friday February 28, 2025. < Back Sussex County Sheriff Michael Strada is saddened to announce the death of retired K9 Roxi, our narcotics detection Canine, who died unexpectedly on Friday February 28, 2025. Sussex County Sheriff Michael Strada is saddened to announce the death of retired K9 Roxi, our narcotics detection Canine, who died unexpectedly on Friday February 28, 2025. Previous Next Press Release Contact: Sheriff Michael F. Strada For Immediate Release 973-579-0850 March 4, 2025 Sussex County Sheriff Michael Strada is saddened to announce the death of retired K9 Roxi, our narcotics detection Canine, who died unexpectedly on Friday February 28, 2025. K9 Roxi and her partner Detective Justin McCann served for 8 years with the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office. Throughout her years of service, K9 Roxi responded to hundreds of calls that included school searches, DWI check points, K9 demonstrations, and roadside vehicle and residential searches. K9 Roxi worked with every local law enforcement agency within Sussex County and assisted both the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Narcotics Task Force and the New Jersey State Police. Additionally, K9 Roxi assisted with calls within Morris, Warren, and Union Counties as well as the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security. When K9 Roxi wasn’t on duty, she resided with Detective McCann and his family. Sheriff Strada and the men and women of the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office offer our sincerest condolences to Detective McCann and his family. K9 Roxi will be missed by many.

Arrested: Kurt A. Takach, age 45, of Montague, NJ. < Back DWI arrest in Wantage Arrested: Kurt A. Takach, age 45, of Montague, NJ. Previous Next On Wednesday, September 11, 2013, while assigned to countywide community policing duties, Sheriff’s Officer Johnny Swords observed a 2001 red colored Chevrolet pickup truck, operated by Kurt Takach, failing to maintain his lane and driving in excess of the posted speed limit. Officer Swords pulled the vehicle over and approached to speak with the driver. Upon speaking with Mr. Takach and observing him attempt to perform several basic sobriety tests, Officer Swords determined him to be intoxicated. Takach was subsequently arrested and transported to the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office for processing. Takach was charged with the following offenses: reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, failure to exhibit documents, DWI and speeding. He was given a future court date to appear in Wantage Municipal Court and released to the care of a responsible person. Sheriff’s Officer Samantha Schilling and Sergeant John Gray assisted in the arrest.

Seniors are invited to attend this free event in Branchville on September 21, 2012. < Back TRIAD law enforcement seminar to be held in September Seniors are invited to attend this free event in Branchville on September 21, 2012. Previous Next On Friday, September 21, 2012, Sussex County TRIAD will be hosting a law enforcement seminar for seniors at Selective Insurance, 40 Wantage Avenue in the Borough of Branchville from 8 a.m. to 12 noon with a free continental breakfast included. The seminar will include classes on home security and computer safety and a demonstration by the Sussex County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit. Seniors will have the opportunity to meet with law enforcement officers and county personnel to gather information on current crimes affecting seniors, facts to combat unwarranted fear of crime, problems faced by seniors and programs that are offered by the Sussex County Division of Senior Services. Admission is free but pre-registration is required. To register, please contact Terry Kelemen, TRIAD coordinator at 973.579.0888, ext. 2508.