A Parsippany man already facing charges for the alleged theft of a vehicle in June of last year is now facing additional charges for the alleged aggravated assault on an officer during his stay at the Morris County jail facility. Anthony A. Novellino, 30, of Parsippany, is alleged to have assaulted the officer without provocation, punching the officer repeatedly, after receiving punishment at the County facility for allegedly crushing medication in order to snort it the previous day. The indictment for these additional charges arose mere weeks before Novellino’s sentencing for the prior year’s robbery charges, set for June 19.
NJ Aggravated Assault Laws
Under N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(b) Novellino’s potential penalties for the alleged crime of assault could be steep, with the crime being automatically escalated to aggravated assault rather than simple assault solely because the victim of the assault was a police officer. New Jersey treats aggravated assault as a very serious crime, making this offense a felony of the fourth degree, which carries potential penalties of up to 18 months in jail and stiff fines of up to $10,000. Since aggravated assault falls under the No Early Release Act (NERA), New Jersey law also specifies that Novellino will have to serve at least 85 percent of the jail time to which he is ultimately sentenced for this crime before he will be eligible for release with respect to these charges.
Any penalties to which Novellion is sentenced in connection with the assault will be in addition to penalties set on June 19 for his prior charges of robbery in connection with last year’s auto theft. Under a recent plea bargain struck with the prosecutor in that matter, he will likely be facing four years of jail time, but could potentially be subject to significantly more jail time for a robbery offense under N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1.