MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Chris Kimker, and Jefferson Township Police Department Chief Sean Conrad announce that Richard Perry, 49, Oak Ridge, was sentenced on March 20 by the Honorable David H. Ironson, J.S.C. to eight years in New Jersey State Prison on two second degree Sexual Assault charges and four years New Jersey State Prison on a third degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child charge.

Perry was the owner of Master Perry’s World Class Martial Arts, Union Avenue, Belleville. Its website listed the business as “permanently closed.”

Perry will also be required to register pursuant to Megan’s Law and was sentenced to Parole Supervision for Life.  In addition to eight years New Jersey State Prison, Perry is subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA) and must serve at least 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole. Perry was ordered to pay mandatory fines and penalties, and is to have no contact with the victim or victim’s family.

Perry was previously found guilty by a jury of two counts of second degree Sexual Assault, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2b, and one count of third degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1).

The crimes occurred on October 2, 2016, when Mr. Perry had touched the niece of his fiancé on the breasts and vagina during a sleepover at his home. The then 11-year-old victim disclosed to her aunt immediately that Mr. Perry touched her and the aunt, in turn, contacted the police.

Prosecutor Knapp would like to thank the Jefferson Township Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit for their involvement in this investigation and prosecution.  Prosecutor Knapp would specifically like to thank and recognize the prosecution team of Assistant Prosecutor Reema Sethi Kareer, Assistant Prosecutor Jessica Sparano, Detective Michael Bost, Detective Melissa Enslen, and Victim Advocate Amanda Holloway of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office for their efforts in this case.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morristown Memorial Hospital, part of Atlantic Health System has launched phase one of a drive through testing site. The test site opened with 33 appointments on Wednesday. There are 80 appointment slots available for Thursday, March 19.

The testing site is only accepting patients who meet the criteria for COVID testing through appointments made by Atlantic Medical Group physicians.

“We have been proactive in planning for the potential increase in volume in our Emergency Department,” said Trish O’Keefe, President, Morristown Medical Center. “As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, we are well-prepared to take all the necessary precautions to continue to best serve our community.”

Atlantic Health is looking to expand access to outpatient testing with all possible speed and began this effort with the opening of a testing location on the property of its corporate headquarters.

Experience gained throughout this initial phase of testing will create a blueprint Atlantic Health will use to broaden this service, said Karen Zatorski, spokesperson for Atlantic Health.

Atlantic Health recommends doing the following if you are sick:

Most people who contract COVID-19 will experience mild symptoms and can self-manage from the comfort of their own homes. The Centers for Disease Control recommends you seek medical advice if you develop symptoms, and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or if you live in or have recently been in an area with ongoing spread.

Call First Communicate travel history and symptoms before arriving at a doctor’s office or health care facility, enabling the provider to determine the best setting for you to receive care.

Consult Your Doctor From Home If your symptoms aren’t severe, speak with a physician from the safety of your home.

Stay Home, Separate Yourself Restrict activities outside the home and limit contact with other people and animals in your home to limit the spread of the virus.

Rest, Stay Hydrated The CDC recommends getting rest and staying hydrated to help manage your health at home.

Monitor Your Symptoms If your symptoms get worse, seek advice from a medical professional. For medical emergencies, call 911. Notify dispatch personnel if you have symptoms of COVID-19.

TRACK YOUR ORAL TEMPERATURE

Other Tips The CDC also recommends wearing a face mask, covering coughs and sneezes, cleaning hands often, avoiding sharing personal household items, cleaning commonly touched surfaces and more.

Are you concerned you might have Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Call the hotline at Atlantic Health if you or a loved one is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or have had direct contact with someone who has a confirmed case of Novel Coronavirus. Please note that this line cannot provide direction or referrals for COVID-19 testing. Atlantic Health System is following specific CDC guidelines regarding patient testing.

The Nurse Screening Hotline at 1-862-260-3199 is available seven days a week from 7:00am to 7:00pm. A highly-trained Atlantic Health System nurse will answer your call, consult with you, and direct you to the resources you need.

The New Jersey Department of Health has a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-222-1222, where trained health care professionals are standing by to answer questions about COVID-19.

MORRIS COUNTY — In a press release from Montville Mayor Frank Cooney, he confirmed he tested positive for the Coronavirus.

“Unfortunately, it is my duty to convey to you that I emphasize changing our behavior particularly at this time, because I have become the most recent confirmed case of COVID-19 in our community. Prior to have any confirmation, I quarantine myself to my home out of an abundance of caution for fear of spreading the virus to others. While I am currently experiencing only mild symptoms, I have followed by physician’s and the Montville Health Department’s instructions and will remain in self isolation doe the next 14 days,” said Montville Mayor Frank Cooney.

It is my moral obligation to let anyone know who I might have come into close contact with since Monday, March 16 and the Montville Health Department will be contacting you to provide you with guidance and instructions, and I ask you to be mindfully aware of their own current health status.

During the next 14 days, while I will be quarantined, I will be acting on your behalf, along with the Township Committee by telephone, email, etc.

“It is important to remind everyone that if you think this can’t happen to you, I thought the same thing, because I don’t travel internationally, and I took all the precautionary measures like washing my hands and disinfecting the things I touch and work with frequently, yet I still contracted it,” he said.

MORRIS COUNTY — Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation (A3848), which prohibits an employer, during the ongoing Public Health Emergency and State of Emergency declared by the Governor in Executive Order 103, from terminating or refusing to reinstate an employee who has, or is likely to have, an infectious disease which requires the employee to miss time at work. 

Under the bill, an employee who requests or takes time off from work, based on the recommendation of a medical professional, may not be terminated or refused reinstatement if the employee is likely to infect others in the workplace.

“Our message in New Jersey has been loud and clear: if you’re sick, stay home,” said Governor Murphy. “No one should fear retribution from their employer for an absence deemed necessary by a medical professional, particularly for an illness as communicable as COVID-19. Every New Jerseyan has a role to play in our mitigation efforts and staying away from others when you’re sick is perhaps the most important thing you can do right now.”

“There’s no getting around it. When someone is diagnosed with coronavirus, they will need to be quarantined and off from work for at least 14 days,” said Assemblywoman Lopez. “Unfortunately, some workers will not have enough sick leave or vacation days to cover their full recovery, and may feel at risk of losing their jobs. We would never want an employee to go to work when they’re ill – especially with a communicable disease like the novel coronavirus – and risk the health of themselves and others.”

“These job protections can contribute significantly to limiting the spread of COVID-19,” Assemblywoman Munoz. “We are giving everyone the tools they need to put their health and the health of others first, without fear of losing their jobs.”

“No employee should have to worry about whether or not they will lose their job because they need time off to recover from novel coronavirus,” said Assemblywoman Downey. “At a time of so much unease, we should be able to assure employment protections for all.”

At a moment of tremendous fear and anxiety, nobody should have to choose between their job and their health,” said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg. “We are calling for strict observance of social distancing and asking people to stay home if they have any signs of illness but we can’t ask that of them unless we also ensure they will have a job to go back to after this crisis passes. I’m heartened to see the Governor take such immediate action on such a crucial aspect of these public health measures necessary to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County has issued an emergency declaration in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak that places restrictions on recreational business and recreational activities in Morris County.

The emergency declaration was signed by Morris County Emergency Management Coordinator Scott DiGiralomo.

“This is a very serious and difficult situation that requires county government to act strongly and decisively to help control the spread of the coronavirus,’’ said Freeholder Director Deborah Smith. “We ask all county residents to join with us and pull together in a united fashion to deal with this life-and-death issue, to help limit the community spread of this virus, which has disrupted our entire society.’’

The county is making this emergency declaration in consultation with local health officials who find that the evidence of community spread of COVID-19 continues to pose an increased risk to the safety of the people of Morris County.

Per the emergency declaration, the following types of businesses are ordered closed, within the geographic borders of Morris County, effective 8:00 p.m. Thursday, March 19:

• Any Indoor Public or Private Recreational Bathing Facilities regulated by local health departments;
• Indoor Recreational Facilities, including but not limited to those providing amusement activities, trampoline parks, miniature golf, batting cages, racquetball/tennis centers, and ice rinks;

The following restrictions also go into effect immediately:

• All playgrounds and all playing fields within Morris County shall be closed immediately;
• Parks may remain open for only passive recreation, with the following restrictions to be enforced; no organized or directed activities are allowed; all park activities that bring together groups of more than four individuals (other than family members) are prohibited, including playgrounds, dog runs, amusement rides, and stables (except for the care of horses at stables).

Local authorities will have the ability to enforce these new rules.

Also, in the interest of public health and safety, the emergency declaration also calls for the future establishment of a county drive-through virus sampling site to help deter community spread of the virus.  More information will be forthcoming on this project.

The terms of this Morris County emergency declaration will remain in effect until further order. It may be modified, altered, and/or amended as the situation develops.

The county emergency declaration supplements items addressed in Gov. Phil Murphy’s state executive order. That order limits social gatherings to 50 people or less, and closed all gaming facilities, race tracks, and other entertainment centers, and directed all non-essential retail, recreation, and entertainment business to close.

To read the text of the county emergency order click here.