EATONTOWN – A Monmouth County man has been sentenced to an extended term of 10 years in state prison for continuously harassing a victim despite having a restraining order placed against him, officials said.
Brett Roach, Sr., 50, was convicted on charges of disorderly persons Simple Assault, third-degree Witness Tampering, third-degree Stalking and fourth-degree Contempt. Roach was sentenced last month following a jury trial that took place on August 9.
In lieu of a bifurcated trial on additional counts of the indictment, the defendant then pled guilty to third-degree Stalking and fourth-degree Contempt. The Stalking charge was elevated from a fourth-degree to a third-degree, due to the contact being in violation of a domestic violence restraining order.
At that time, the State moved for a discretionary extended-term motion whereby Roach would be eligible to be sentenced in the second-degree range. The judge granted the State’s motion, and also imposed a two-year period of parole ineligibility.
On January 27, 2023, police went to Stony Hill Road regarding a domestic dispute. Officers learned that a verbal dispute grew physical, and the defendant fled the scene once police were called.
The victim requested and was a granted a Temporary Restraining Order, officials said. The defendant was found and arrested the following day. He was detained in the Monmouth County Correctional Institute pending trial.
During the first two and a half months of detention, he contacted the victim over a hundred times, by phone, through third parties and via mail, all in violation of the Restraining Order, officials said. Roach repeatedly asked the victim to drop the Restraining Order and the charges.
“Persons restrained by court orders must abide by these lawful orders, especially in matters of domestic violence. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and our local law enforcement partners shall seek to enforce these restraining orders and provide the protection these victims deserve during the critical times when they seek to separate from those that do harm,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said.
