Holmdel Authorities Charge Man for Allegedly Scrapping Thousands Worth of Stolen Metal

Holmdel authorities launched an investigation after a flood of reports from local residents in 2015 involving stolen brass sprinkler valves and water meters. After following the trail, police arrived at a Perth Amboy man who is now charged with theft crimes and criminal mischief for allegedly stealing the metal and scrapping it in exchange for over $17,000.

According to Holmdel Police Lieutenant Keith Cannata, officials were alerted a number of times between January and June of 2015, as residents reported the loss of brass sprinkler backflow preventer valves and brass irrigation water meters, the values of which have been estimated at between $600 and $800 per piece.

Holmdel Police then launched a coordinated investigation with the assistance of members from the Plainsboro, Marlboro, Cranbury, Manalapan, and Lawrence police departments, ultimately identifying 31-year-old Perth Amboy resident Lucio Morales-Rosa as the primary suspect in this case. Officials believe that Morales-Rosa scrapped over 10,000 pounds of stolen brass water meters and valves in three different counties, the total value of which has been estimated at over $17,000.

Morales-Rosa was then arrested and charged with theft, criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit theft. He was being held in lieu of bail amounting to $10,000 in the Monmouth County Correctional Institute. With similar thefts reported in Middlesex and Mercer counties, Morales is facing charges in these counties as well.

With regard to the Monmouth County case, the degree of the theft charges remains undisclosed. However, if the total value of the stolen property has been aggregated to arrive at a single amount, Morales-Rosa may have been charged with a third-degree theft crime. Under N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3a, which addresses offenses involving theft of movable property, theft is a third-degree crime if the value of the stolen property falls within the range of $500 and $75,000.

If Morales-Rosa is, in fact, facing third-degree theft charges, he may be exposed to a term of incarceration ranging from 3 to 5 years in New Jersey State Prison if convicted. However, third-degree crimes in New Jersey entail a presumption of non-incarceration for first-time offenders, meaning that if the defendant has no prior record, he or she may be considered a good candidate for probation or a diversionary program such as Pre-Trial Intervention.

For additional information related to this case, view the following article: Man scrapped 10,000 pounds of brass metal worth $17K, police say

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