Sheriff Michael F. Strada is pleased to announce the arrival of K-9 Kilo. < Back Drug money used to purchase new sheriff’s K-9 Sheriff Michael F. Strada is pleased to announce the arrival of K-9 Kilo. Previous Next Sheriff Michael F. Strada is pleased to announce the arrival of a new officer at the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office. This newest member of the sheriff’s office is not only capable of running at speeds upwards of 30 mph, he can scale a seven foot fence in seconds flat and smell drugs secreted in hidden compartments that would be otherwise impossible to detect. He does, however, shed a great deal more hair than a typical sheriff’s officer. K-9 Kilo is a black and tan colored, German shepherd dog. At just 17 months old, he is the youngest of the 4 dogs that currently comprise the sheriff’s office K-9 unit. Kilo was born in Hungary and transported to the United States by a canine vendor who, in turn, sold him to the sheriff’s office. Kilo was purchased using money from the asset forfeiture fund which is maintained by the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office. Sussex County Prosecutor David Weaver authorized the expenditure from the fund which is composed, almost exclusively, of money seized during narcotics investigations. The cost of purchasing Kilo was therefore borne, not from the taxpaying citizens of Sussex County, but from narcotics traffickers similar to those that Kilo will ultimately be trained to locate and apprehend. Both Sheriff Strada and Prosecutor Weaver reflected on the irony of obtaining a narcotics detection canine with funds taken predominantly from narcotics traffickers. In thanking Prosecutor Weaver for his assistance the sheriff noted, “This is a win-win for the citizens of Sussex County as well as the sheriff’s office. K-9 Kilo will be a valuable asset to law enforcement agencies throughout Sussex County while bringing no cost to the taxpayers.” “Having a canine trained in narcotics detection and patrol work duties is beneficial both as a tool for law enforcement and to the citizens of Sussex County,” said Prosecutor Weaver. Kilo will be trained in patrol work duties such as criminal apprehension, handler protection, evidence recovery, general obedience and human tracking. Additionally, he will be trained in narcotics detection. He is scheduled to begin training on June 1. From left to right: Sheriff Michael F. Strada, Detective Kieran McMorrow, K-9 Kilo and Sussex County Prosecutor David Weaver.

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Sheriff Strada laid out his opposition to Governor Phil Murphy’s sanctuary state scheme. < Back Sheriff Strada seeks guidance from attorney general on Gov. Murphy’s sanctuary state scheme In a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Sheriff Strada laid out his opposition to Governor Phil Murphy’s sanctuary state scheme. Previous Next In a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Sussex County Sheriff Mike Strada laid out his opposition to Governor Phil Murphy’s sanctuary state scheme and to his administration’s attempt to deprive the voters of Sussex County with an opportunity to have a voice in the matter. Sheriff Strada wrote: In response to a growing outcry of concern from their constituents, on April 10, 2019, the Sussex County Board of Chosen Freeholders—the legislative body that represents the people of Sussex County, New Jersey—passed a resolution to place a non-binding public question on the ballot in the county that asks voters to instruct their sheriff on the sanctuary state directive issued by Governor Murphy’s attorney general. The ballot question gives voters a choice to instruct their county sheriff to (1) obey the state directive or (2) follow the laws passed by the Congress of the United States of America, signed by successive presidents of both parties, and upheld by the United States Supreme Court. On May 17, 2019, the Murphy administration—through Attorney General Gurbir Grewal—sent notice to Sussex County Clerk Jeff Parrott that the public question “must not be included” on the ballot in November. It is my understanding that this violates the New Jersey Constitution, which specifically placed elected CONSTITUTIONAL officers (such as the sheriff and county clerk) outside the control of the executive. But more importantly, it is hypocritical to block American citizens from indicating their preference to have their elected officials follow the laws of the United States of America, in favor of compelling them to follow the directives of an appointed state official who is in violation of those laws. Sheriff Strada was clear in his determination to fight the Murphy administration on the sanctuary state issue: On behalf of myself and several members of the freeholder board, I am requesting your guidance in this matter. As the chief law enforcement officer of the United States of America, I believe that law enforcement in New Jersey should be following the federal government in matters of a federal nature. Protecting the borders of the United States, as well as immigration and citizenship (and the criminal laws governing same), are federal matters and not the purview of the states. After all, we are Americans first and foremost, and not the citizens of 50 individual nation-states. For my part, I will continue to fight the Murphy administration on its sanctuary state scheme. I believe it will lead to an expansion of modern slavery—human trafficking and the exploitation of women and children—and of the criminal importation of illegal firearms, narcotics, and opioids. The sanctuary state idea will lead to legal anarchy as well as aiding organized crime and terrorism. It is nothing more than a dangerous and illogical fashion statement. Sheriff Strada was joined by Assemblyman Parker Space (R-24), who lambasted Governor Murphy for his “bullying tactics.” Assemblyman Space said: “On the one hand, Murphy is extending the rights of illegals every week and going further by backing up those so-called rights with taxpayer money and new spending. On the other hand, he is taking away the right to vote from American citizens who live in Sussex County. It is ridiculous and I oppose it.” Freeholder Dawn Fantasia had this to say: “The immigration crisis has led to unprecedented abuse of women and children. The sheriff is right and the people should have the opportunity to vote to ignore a reckless state directive.” Earlier, Freeholder Josh Hertzberg, who began his career as a federal border officer, said the voter initiative was giving the voters the chance of “asking our politicians to follow the law.” Sheriff Mike Strada is in his third term as sheriff of Sussex County. He is a career law enforcement officer who served as a U.S. Army platoon leader in Iraq (Desert Storm). He is married with three children.

Arrested: Theresa Lavin, age 27, of Sussex Borough, NJ. < Back Woman arrested for attempting to fake drug test Arrested: Theresa Lavin, age 27, of Sussex Borough, NJ. Previous Next On Wednesday, September 28, 2011, while assigned to the Motor Vehicle Commission in Newton, Sheriff’s Officer Scott Haggerty observed Christina Talmadge operating a motor vehicle. Knowing her driving privileges to be suspended, Sheriff’s Officer Haggerty stopped Talmadge’s vehicle. Further investigation revealed she was also the subject of an outstanding warrant from Frankford Township Municipal Court. Sheriff’s Officer Haggerty immediately took Talmadge into custody and transported her to the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office where she was processed, given a future court date and released on her own recognizance.

Strada recently attended a dynamic, intensive and challenging five-day program in Virginia. < Back Sheriff Strada attends FBI leadership training Strada recently attended a dynamic, intensive and challenging five-day program in Virginia. Previous Next Sheriff Michael F. Strada recently completed a five-day intensive training program hosted by the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (FBI-LEEDA). Sheriff Strada was one of thirty participants from throughout the United States who attended the week-long training program in Richmond, Virginia that focused on Command Institute for Law Enforcement Executives. The Command Institute focuses on and provides real life contemporary and futuristic strategies and techniques for those in command level positions. Participants engaged in such topics as leading a new command, leading change, organizational culture, surviving and succeeding as a police executive, audits and controls and liability. The training had a high degree of student participation. Sheriff Strada said “Whenever you are able to obtain this level of training it is a benefit to our organization. I was able to learn and network with some of the best instructors in our country.”

Arrested: Robert Wilson, age 24, of Stanhope, NJ. < Back Stanhope man arrested in probation department Arrested: Robert Wilson, age 24, of Stanhope, NJ. Previous Next On Thursday, March 21, 2013, while assigned to the Sussex County Probation Department, sheriff’s officers John Freykar and Rob Jacoby were advised by probation staff that an arrest warrant had been issued for Robert Wilson for violation of probation. Additionally, they were advised that Wilson was currently in the office. Officers Freykar and Jacoby located Wilson and, after confirming the existence of the warrant, arrested and transported him to the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility where he was lodged without incident. Robert Wilson is currently lodged in the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility without bail.

Arrested: Charity Thompson, age 20 and Kevin J. Curran Jr., age 47, both of Newton, NJ. < Back Sheriff’s detective and officer arrest two in Newton Arrested: Charity Thompson, age 20 and Kevin J. Curran Jr., age 47, both of Newton, NJ. Previous Next On Monday, July 29, 2013, while assigned to fugitive apprehension duties, Sheriff’s Detective William Lunger and Sheriff’s Officer Christopher Megna located Charity Thompson and Kevin J. Curran at separate locations within the town of Newton. Thompson and Curran were both the subjects of outstanding Superior Court warrants. Further investigation revealed Thompson was also the subject of an outstanding municipal warrant from Frankford Township Municipal Court. Both were taken into custody and transported to the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility where they were lodged without incident. Charity Thompson remains lodged in the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility in lieu of $2,000 bail on the Superior Court warrant and $500 bail on the Frankford Township Municipal warrant. Kevin J. Curran Jr. was released on his own recognizance the following day after appearing before the Hon. N. Peter Conforti, JSC.

< Back Thank You First Responders Previous Next On behalf of the Sussex County Sheriff's Office and Office of Emergency Management, I would like to thank all of the First Responders who responded and assisted at the plane crash in Hampton Township. Starting with the New Jersey State Police, who with the assistance of their aviation unit, located the plane wreckage in a remote wooded area in Hampton Township. What followed was a large response from multiple agencies. These agencies included but were not limited to the New Jersey State Police, New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management, Sussex County Sheriff Office of Emergency Management, Sussex County Fire Marshal Office, Sussex County Haz-Mat team, Hampton Township Fire Department, Stillwater Township Fire Department , Fredon Township Fire Department, Lafayette Fire Department, Ogdensburg Fire Department, Highland Lakes Fire Department, Frankford Fire Department and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. I would also like to recognize and thank the Sussex County Communications Center for ensuring that all the resources that we needed were dispatched to the accident site. Since the wreckage and the victims were located in a remote densely wooded area it made the recovery extremely difficult and challenging. Working in collaboration, the agencies were able to recover the victims and assist the NTSB with the recovery and removal of the aircraft from the woods. The First Responders, almost all of who are volunteers, spent close to 2 days assisting at the accident site. Although we all wish the outcome was better, these volunteers worked tirelessly to recover the victims and the aircraft. As the County Emergency Management Coordinator, it is comforting to know that the volunteers in Sussex County are ready and willing to respond to any emergency that we may face. I thank all of you for your assistance at the crash site and your continued hard work and dedication to your communities. Sincerely, Sheriff Michael Strada Sussex County Emergency Management Coordinator

< Back PUBLIC NOTICE The Sussex County Sheriff’s Office is scheduled for an assessment as part of its program to achieve accreditation by verifying that it meets recognized professional best practices. Previous Next Administered by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, the accreditation program requires agencies to comply with best practice standards in five basic areas: the administrative function, the personnel function, the operations function, the investigative function, and the arrestee/detainee function. Agency employees and the public are invited to offer comments by calling 973-579-0850 ext. 2107 on Thursday, January 26, 2023 between the hours of 10:00AM and 11:00AM. Comments will be taken by the Assessment Team. Email comments can be sent to the Sheriff’s Office at at carnott@sussexcountysheriff.com . Telephone comments are limited to 5 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with the NJSACOP standards. Please contact Captain Clayton Arnott at 973-579-0850 ext. 2522 for more information. Anyone wishing to submit written comments about the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office ability to comply with the standards for accreditation may send them by email to Harry J Delgado, Ed.S Accreditation Program Director, hdelgado@njsacop.org , or write to the New Jersey State Association of Chief’s of Police, Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission at 751 Route 73 North, Suite 12, Marlton, N.J. 08053.

Backup facility provides for completely redundant emergency communications capabilities. < Back Public safety telecommunicators exercise the “hot site” Backup facility provides for completely redundant emergency communications capabilities. Previous Next The Sussex County Sheriff’s Office successfully exercised its communications backup facility recently. Rather than answering 911 calls and dispatching emergency service resources from its Frankford Township facility, communications personnel ran the operations from its hot site located at the sheriff’s office in Newton. This backup facility, often referred to as a “hot site,” serves as a redundant communications site to the Frankford location. Real time synchronization between the two sites is used to completely mirror the environment of the main communications site in Frankford using wide area network links and specialized software. In the event of a disruption to the main Frankford site, personnel can relocate to this hot site and resume operations with minimal downtime. In lessons learned from 9/11, this hot site provides for complete redundant emergency communications capabilities from a geographically different location. Sheriff Strada said “It’s great to see that we are prepared should we ever have a disruption.”

Recipients were Sergeant John Gray of the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office and New Jersey State Police Trooper Victor Cabrera-Bonilla. < Back Sheriff presents life saving award to sheriff’s officer and state trooper Recipients were Sergeant John Gray of the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office and New Jersey State Police Trooper Victor Cabrera-Bonilla. Previous Next Sheriff Michael F. Strada presented a life saving award to Sergeant John Gray of the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office and New Jersey State Police Trooper Victor Cabrera-Bonilla in recognition of their response to a medical call in Sussex County. Both officers quickly responded to the call and performed “two-man CPR” while also utilizing an automated external defibrillator AED unit as the victim was in full cardiac arrest. Both Trooper Cabrera-Bonilla and Sergeant Gray continued to work together, established a heartbeat and the victim began to breathe. The victim was transported by the local first aid squad for additional medical attention and the victim survived the incident. Sussex County Sheriff Michael F. Strada said, “The lifesaving actions of Sergeant Gray and Trooper Cabrera-Bonilla reflect the highest standards of service to the community and their performance is an example of true professionalism.” Present at the ceremony were officers of the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office along with New Jersey State Police Station Commander Lieutenant Matt Avenatti of the Troop B Sussex Barracks. Lieutenant Avenatti praised the members of the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office by noting that because of the seamless relationship between the two law enforcement agencies, especially as they perform training sessions together, this enabled the two officers to work effectively. Lieutenant Avenatti further stated, “Agencies that train together, respond better together for the citizens of Sussex County.” Pictured left to right: Lieutenant Matt Avenatti, Trooper Cabrera-Bonilla, Sergeant Gray and Sheriff Strada.

The sweep, carried out in most New Jersey counties, tracks down parents with outstanding warrants for failure to pay child support. < Back Sheriff’s office arrests 31 in statewide nonsupport sweep The sweep, carried out in most New Jersey counties, tracks down parents with outstanding warrants for failure to pay child support. Previous Next Sheriff Michael F. Strada today announced his agency’s recent participation in the New Jersey Statewide Nonsupport Warrant Sweep. The sweep was sponsored by the Sheriff’s Association of New Jersey and was conducted in full cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Family Development, the Office of Child Support Services and the probation divisions of each respective county in the state. Beginning in the early morning hours of Tuesday June, 18, 2013 and continuing through Thursday June 20, 2013, Sussex County sheriff’s officers—with arrest warrants issued by a Superior Court in New Jersey—arrested the following 26 individuals who failed to comply with court-ordered child support payments. An asterisk (*) next to a name denotes that individual has multiple non-support warrants for separate obligations. Defendant Age Residence Amount Owed Melanie Griffiths 36 Vernon $5,263.70 Sereca Thomas 29 Franklin $5,790.26 Jarred Bruce 32 Franklin $18,496.83 Alfred Davidson* 31 Sussex $22,213.28 Frank Mears 46 Newton $8,906.67 Robert Sipila 58 Vernon $3,200.00 Travis Kretzschmar 30 Vernon $3,904.00 Robert Farruggia 51 Netcong $54,043.88 Charles Heddy 41 Allamuchy $24,810.28 Thomas Scherzer 46 Roxbury $51,994.16 Roger Weaver* 45 Roxbury $161,080.58 Michael Burns 46 Sparta $4,124.91 Lisa Ayers 49 Newton $850.34 Vincent Scardino 43 Andover $6,706.76 Daryl Michael 42 Newton $4,311.12 Douglas Potente 27 Vernon $6,086.76 Scott Baker 44 Toms River $2,520.00 David Murphy 50 Branchville $57,347.80 Michael Krajci 43 Franklin $11,884.00 Kevin Smith 58 Sussex $3,364.28 Everett Scott 40 Branchville $649.00 Paula Babcock 52 Hamburg $3,218.17 Maria Brock 48 Vernon $13,796.27 Dustin Storm 39 Sandyston $4,708.74 Brett Hinchman 34 Pequannock $22,259.71 Shannon Cuthbert 26 Atlantic City $2,340.00 An additional five other individuals voluntarily surrendered themselves at the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office during the sweep. In terms of overall collections gathered throughout New Jersey, Sussex County was third in the state. Of the 35 warrants served, a total of $33,756.71 was collected. All persons arrested in the sweep were processed and lodged in the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility. Those incarcerated were given the opportunity to make a payment of the monies owed in order to be released. If unable to make full payment, they will be rescheduled for a court appearance before a Superior Court judge. At that time, the judge will make a determination regarding the amount of child support that must be paid on a case-by-case basis. Sheriff Strada advises Sussex County residents with an active warrant for nonsupport to be proactive and contact his office to make arrangements for surrender. Additionally, the sheriff asks any member of the public who can provide information that may lead to the arrest of someone who owes child support to contact the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office Crime Stoppers toll-free tip line at (888) 973-CRIME. Tips may also be submitted online through the Crime Stoppers Online Anonymous Tip Form. Your information can greatly assist the sheriff’s office in enforcing outstanding warrants. If the information you provide leads to an arrest, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

Police seek information about diner vandalism. < Back Crime Stoppers offers $6,000 reward Police seek information about diner vandalism. Previous Next Thanks to the help of an anonymous donor, Crime Stoppers is offering a $6,000.00 reward for information resulting in the conviction of the individual(s) responsible for defacing the Airport Diner in Wantage with swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti on September 16, 2017. Submit an anonymous tip »