Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll and First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood announce the promotion of several members of the legal team within the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
The following members were promoted and assigned as indicated:
Meg Rodriguez was promoted to the title of Chief Assistant Prosecutor. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Rodriguez will be responsible for supervising the Courts & Administration Division, including the General Investigations Unit, Pre-Trial Services Unit, and newly expanded Division Unit (encompassing Mental Health and Veterans Divisionary Programs and Recovery Court), Firearms Regulations, and Intake Unit.
CAP Rodriguez began her career with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office as a law clerk in 1997, sworn in as an Assistant Prosecutor the following year and assigned to the Juvenile Unit and later Trial Team.
She was assigned to the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit in 2003 and was promoted to the position of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor of the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit in 2010.
While there, she acted as the legal advisor to the Sexual Assault Response Team, served as a member of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Working Group to revise Standards for Providing Services to Sexual Assault Victims in 2018, and was a part of a team that helped develop content for the New Jersey Attorney General’s CLEAR First Responder Sexual Assault Training in 2019 and 2020.
CAP Rodriguez transferred to the Courts & Administration Division in 2020, where she helped lead the expansion of the Mental Health Diversion Program, coordinating efforts with the Judiciary and Mental Health Association.
CAP Rodriguez planned and implemented the initial Morris Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training. CAP Rodriguez is a Certified Criminal Trial Attorney, Police Training Commission Certified Instructor and is the Morris CIT Coordinator.
Christopher Schellhorn was promoted to the title of Chief Assistant Prosecutor. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Schellhorn will be responsible for supervising the Tactical Division, including the Major Crimes Unit, Arson/Environmental Unit, Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.
CAP Schellhorn joined the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in 2014 as an Assistant Prosecutor in the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit. Since 2018, he has been the Supervising Assistant Prosecutor of the Major Crimes Unit and the Arson/Environmental Crimes Unit.
Prior to joining Morris County, CAP Schellhorn was an Assistant Prosecutor in the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office for approximately four years and an Assistant District Attorney in the Franklin County (Pennsylvania) Office of the District Attorney for approximately three years. During the course of his career, he has conducted 39 jury trials and has handled numerous high-profile cases.
He is currently the Second Vice President of the Morris County Bar Association and the President of the C. Willard Heckel American Inn of Court in Newark. Chris is recognized by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Certified Criminal Trial Attorney.
Reema Sethi Kareer was promoted to the title of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor. Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Kareer will be responsible for supervising the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit within the Tactical Division.
SAP Kareer joined the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office as an Assistant Prosecutor in 2010. Since then, SAP Kareer has been assigned to the Appellate Unit, the Domestic Violence Unit, the General Investigations Unit, and the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit.
Prior to joining Morris County, she spent five years as an Adjunct Professor at Raritan Valley Community College, where she taught Basic Litigation Procedure, Criminology, and Torts and prior to that spent four years as an Assistant Prosecutor with the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office where she handled a variety of cases including kidnapping, burglary, assault and drug cases.
SAP Kareer was appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court Working Group on Remote Grand Jury Operations and the New Jersey State Bar Association Pandemic Task Force Resuming Jury Trials Committee.
She was also appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Model Criminal Jury Charges and the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement.
She currently serves in her 4th year as a Trustee with the Criminal Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association and is a former Trustee of the South Asian Bar Association.
Erin Callahan was promoted to the title of Senior Assistant Prosecutor. Senior Assistant Prosecutor Callahan will remain assigned to the Special Operations Division. Sr.
AP Callahan joined the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office as an Assistant Prosecutor in 2013 and was assigned to the General Investigations Unit.
She was transferred to the Special Operations Division, which consists of the Narcotics Task Force, Intelligence/Homeland Security Units, High Tech Crimes Unit, Fugitive Unit and Asset Forfeiture Unit, in 2015.
Prior to joining the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Sr. Assistant Prosecutor Callahan spent nine years as a Deputy Attorney General for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Division of Criminal Justice, where she focused on the prosecution of traditional and non-traditional organized crime investigations.
While there, she was acknowledged by the Waterfront Commission of New York and New Jersey for her contributions to the investigation and prosecution of members of the Genovese crime family.
Sr. Assistant Prosecutor Callahan assists with the management of the Special Operations Division and teaches and instructs updates on search warrants, communications data warrants, and updates on technology to in-house detectives and other members of law enforcement.
Laura Magnone was promoted to the title of Senior Assistant Prosecutor. Senior Assistant Prosecutor Magnone will be reassigned to the General Investigations Unit within the Courts & Administration Division.
Sr. Assistant Prosecutor Magnone began her career in 2006 as a Law Clerk to Presiding Criminal Judge Frederick DeVesa in Middlesex County and, a year later, was sworn in as an Assistant Prosecutor at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.
During her career, she has been assigned to the Appellate, Juvenile, Trial Team, and Sex Crimes Units. As a second-year Assistant Prosecutor, she was given the unique opportunity to prosecute a nine co-defendant homicide case.
She successfully prosecuted each defendant and went to trial on one of the defendants, which resulted in a guilty verdict and a 40-year state prison sentence.
She joined the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in 2013 and was assigned to the Fraud Unit before being transferred to the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit in 2014. She recently tried the county’s first Human Trafficking case, State v. Adolphus Mims, resulting in a guilty verdict and a 40-year prison sentence.
She also tried the county’s first jury trial post Covid-19, State v. Jeremiah Forde, resulting in a guilty verdict and a 28-year state prison sentence. Sr. Assistant Prosecutor Magnone has received commendations for her work on two Human Trafficking investigations and prosecutions and is a legal advisor to the New Jersey Sex Crimes Officer’s Association.
She is also part of the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Task Force. In addition to Sr. Assistant Prosecutor Magnone’s responsibilities in the General Investigations Unit, she will continue her Human Trafficking assignments and responsibilities.
Kelly Sandler was promoted to the title of Senior Assistant Prosecutor. Senior Assistant Prosecutor Sandler will remain assigned to the Major Crimes and Arson/Environmental Units within the Tactical Division.
She joined the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in 2016 as an Assistant Prosecutor in the Major Crimes Unit and the Arson/Environmental Crimes Unit.
Prior to joining the MCPO, Sr. Assistant Prosecutor Kelly worked as an Assistant Prosecutor for eight years in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, where she served primarily in the Special Victims Unit and the Trial Team.
While there, Sr. Assistant Prosecutor Sandler successfully tried the State’s first Human Trafficking case. When jury trials resumed after the Covid-19 shutdown, Sr. Assistant Prosecutor Sandler successfully tried two jury trials.
Most notable was State v. Kelvin Briggs, which resulted in a 24-year prison sentence for Sexual Assault and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Sr. Assistant Prosecutor Sandler received an office commendation for her successful prosecution of Briggs. Sr.
Assistant Prosecutor Sandler clerked for Presiding Criminal Judge Scott Moynihan in Union County. She is currently the co-Chair of the Women Lawyers Section of the Morris County Bar Association.
In addition to the promotions, Kyle M. Herda was sworn in as a Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Assistant Prosecutor and will be assigned to the General Investigations Unit.
Prior to joining the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Assistant Prosecutor Herda served as an Assistant Prosecutor in the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, Law Clerk to the Superior Court of New Jersey Judges Noah Franzblau and James A. Farber, student attorney at the Criminal Defense Clinic in Syracuse, editor-in-chief and news reporter for the Impunity Watch Legal Journal, Case Officer in the intelligence branch for the Syrian Accountability Project, and was a Legal Intern for the Superior Court of New Jersey and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Rutgers University, a Master’s degree from Syracuse University Forensic & National Security Sciences Institute, and a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law.
A formal ceremony was held on Monday, April 25.
“I am pleased to make these important promotions of these highly qualified and dedicated professionals," Prosecutor Carroll said.
"I especially note that I am able to do so from within the existing ranks of the MCPO staff and thank the County Commissioners and County Administrator John Bonanni for their continuing support for our law enforcement mission.”