NEW JERSEY
Daily Record
BY PEGGY WRIGHT
DAILY RECORD
The Morris County Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday offered an ex-Roman Catholic priest a plea bargain of between five and seven years in prison to resolve charges of sexual misconduct with four male teenagers he counseled as a social worker at Daytop-NJ in Mendham.
Assistant Prosecutor Meg Rodriguez told Superior Court Judge Salem Vincent Ahto in Morristown that the plea offer extended to 58-year-old Madison resident Richard J. Mieliwocki would involve up to seven years either in state prison or at the state's Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center for sex offenders in Avenel.
Mieliwocki has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and he next is due in Superior Court on Nov. 7.
If he accepts the state's offer, Mieliwocki also would have to register with police as a convicted sex offender under Megan's Law once released.
Mieliwocki also would be subject to community supervision for life.