Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Morris County Department of Human Services Director Jennifer Carpinteri announce that on Mar. 21, the defendant, Katria Thorne - Stevenson, pled guilty before the Honorable Catherine Enright, J.S.C., to the charge of simple assault.
The plea arose from an investigation into a claim that the defendant, who was a Juvenile Detention Officer at the Morris County Juvenile Detention Center, used excessive force during the course of duty. The County and Juvenile Detention Center fully cooperated with the investigation.
The investigation revealed that on November 5, 2016, the defendant, while attempting to physically restrain Jane Doe, a juvenile who was then detained at the Morris County Juvenile Detention Center, struck the juvenile in the face with a closed fist, in excess of the force needed to accomplish any lawful purpose. The juvenile was handcuffed at the time and there was no justifiable need for force to be used at that point.
The juvenile received physical injury, to wit, a bruise and swelling to her lip.
The defendant surrendered to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office on March 21, 2017. As part of the plea agreement, the defendant agreed to immediately resign her position with the County of Morris and is barred from seeking any future law enforcement, juvenile corrections or adult corrections position in the State of New Jersey.
The sentencing date is April 28, 2017.