A Few Clouds 52°
Police & Fire
$980,000 Settlement Reached In Case Of Morris Student, 14, Kissed, Groped By Teacher $980,000 Settlement Reached In Case Of Morris Student, 14, Kissed, Groped By Teacher
$980,000 Settlement Reached In Case Of Morris Student, 14, Kissed, Groped By Teacher A local school board in Morris County reportedly is paying $980,000 to settle a civil suit brought by the family of a former middle school student whose teacher admitted groping and making out with her.  Eric Strand, 61, who was also a Boy Scout leader and firefighter, pleaded guilty in May 2017 to child endangerment and criminal sexual contact for kissing the 14-year-old Hopatcong Middle School eighth grader several times and grabbing her butt over her clothing the year before. He was sentenced to three years in state prison In exchange for his plea, then was released after serving 36…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Essex County Corrections Officers Lied About Making Jail Rounds, Charged Prosecutor: Essex County Corrections Officers Lied About Making Jail Rounds, Charged
Prosecutor: Essex County Corrections Officers Lied About Making Jail Rounds, Charged A pair of Essex County Correctional Facility officers were charged with falsifying and tampering with records while working at the Newark jail, authorities said. Raymond Distasi, of Roxbury, and Quasi Cary, of Newark, both made false entries in the jail logbook indicating that they made made rounds in the jail that surveillance footage indicated that they did not make, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, said. Distasi, 52, was working a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift at the Doremus Avenue facility March 17 and 18, when he logged certain rounds that he did not actually mak…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Morris County Ex-Con Who Exploded Bomb, Illegally Collected Weapons Gets 2 Years In Federal Pen Morris County Ex-Con Who Exploded Bomb, Illegally Collected Weapons Gets 2 Years In Federal Pen
Morris County Ex-Con Who Exploded Bomb, Illegally Collected Weapons Gets 2 Years In Federal Pen UPDATE: An ex-con from Morris County must spend the next two years in federal prison for detonating a bomb at a lake, owning explosive devices and illegally collecting a cache of guns and ammo. Christopher Faschan, 31, of Landing, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in August to unlawful possession of destructive devices and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition in exchange for leniency at sentencing. Faschan showed the bomb to an unidentified woman on Feb. 1 in Stanhope, then detonated it at Lake Lackawanna, authorities said. “That’s something that could easily be …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Father, Son Moving To Bergen County Together Die 6 Days Apart After Morris County Crash Father, Son Moving To Bergen County Together Die 6 Days Apart After Morris County Crash
Father, Son Moving To Bergen County Together Die 6 Days Apart After Morris County Crash A 28-year-old man died six days after his 69-year-old father of injuries sustained in a Roxbury car accident, authorities said. Vincent Borny had been fighting for his life at Morristown Medical Center following the crash that took his father Ken Borny's life Sept. 25, outside of Ledgewood Commons in Roxbury, his uncle Tom Borny said. Vincent's organs will be donated to help others live, Tom Borny said in a Facebook post. "I believe Vincent will live amongst us all in the lives of people walking this earth having a second chance and everyday smiling with gratitude knowing that someone was …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Storm Wreaks Havoc On North Jersey: HS Closed, Thousands Without Power Storm Wreaks Havoc On North Jersey: HS Closed, Thousands Without Power
Storm Wreaks Havoc On North Jersey: HS Closed, Thousands Without Power Lenape Valley High School in Stanhope will be closed Wednesday due to damage possibly sustained in a tornado Tuesday. Officials did not confirm that a tornado had touched down but the announcement that the school would be closed came shortly after a tornado warning was issued for the region. There were also reports of downed trees and wires in Roxbury and Stanhope. The system, which was packing powerful winds and heavy rains, swept westward through an area stretching from Sussex and Warren counties to Hudson, Union and Essex counties. The National Weather Service eventually issued a to…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Paramus PD: Knife-Wielding Suspect Nabbed In GSP Robbery After Attempting Same Heist Elsewhere Paramus PD: Knife-Wielding Suspect Nabbed In GSP Robbery After Attempting Same Heist Elsewhere
Paramus PD: Knife-Wielding Suspect Nabbed In GSP Robbery After Attempting Same Heist Elsewhere Same heist, different store. A 32-year-old woman from Landing accused of robbing a Garden State Plaza clothing store at knifepoint was being held in the Bergen County Jail after trying to do the same at another Paramus store Tuesday, authorities said. Nicole Travers was taken into custody when police spotted her on a jitney bus after brandishing a butcher knife and attempting to rob the cashier at Mandee on the westbound side of Route 4, Deputy Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti announced. Police believe she is the same woman who on May 16 brandished a butcher knife and robbed Aberc…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Lane Closures Planned On I-80 In Morris County Saturday Night Lane Closures Planned On I-80 In Morris County Saturday Night
Lane Closures Planned On I-80 In Morris County Saturday Night Lanes on I-80 in Rockaway, Roxbury and Jefferson will be closed overnight this weekend as part of the first phase of a bridge replacement project, the state Department of Transportation said.  One lane eastbound will be closed beginning at 8 p.m. and a second at 10 p.m. Later Saturday, a westbound lane will be closed, followed by a second westbound lane.  When the lanes are reopened Sunday morning, traffic on both sides will be shifted to the right shoulder so as to maintain three lanes in both directions while work begins in the center of the roadway. The lane configuration is ex…

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by Paul Milo