MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp announces that Tyhan Lighty, 45, with a last known address in Orange, has been sentenced to ten years New Jersey State Prison with 85% parole ineligibility pursuant to the No Early Release Act following his guilty plea to Armed Robbery, a crime of the first degree. The charges stem from a crime that occurred on May 18, 2014, in the parking garage of the Morristown Medical Center complex on Madison Avenue, Morristown.
The investigation originated from a May 18, 2014, report of an armed robbery in the parking garage of the Morristown Medical Center. Information revealed that a male who was armed with a handgun entered a parking lot complex office and demanded money from an employee. The suspect then fled the location.
During the robbery, the suspect used plastic zip ties to attempt to bind the victim’s wrists. Several of these zip ties were recovered from the scene by investigators and were submitted to the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences for examination. Forensic scientists identified DNA on a zip tie from the scene and concluded that Tyhan Lighty was the source of the DNA. On June 18, 2015, Lighty was arrested on an outstanding complaint-warrant related to this incident and was lodged in the Morris County Correctional Facility, where he remained on bail until sentencing.
On December 6, 2016, Lighty pled guilty to Armed Robbery before the Honorable Thomas J. Critchley, J.S.C. At the time of the plea, Lighty admitted that he went to a parking garage at Morristown Medical Center, demanded money from the victim, and showed the victim a silver handgun to place her in fear.
Lighty appeared for sentencing before the Honorable Thomas J. Critchley, J.S.C. on January 20, 2017. The State was represented by Assistant Prosecutors Christopher Schellhorn and Sean Gaynor at sentencing.
Prosecutor Knapp stated: “This case was solved by outstanding police work performed by several different agencies. We thank all of them for their cooperation. All are to be commended.”
Prosecutor Knapp would like to acknowledge the Morristown Bureau of Police, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Section, the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Victim/Witness Unit for their collective efforts in securing this conviction.
