Monmouth elder care sex assault suspect pleads guilty

A former staffer in a Wall Township nursing home once run by Monmouth County faces prison time for the sexual assault of an elderly resident.

In Freehold Monday, nursing assistant Todd Fulton, 43, of Hazlet, pleaded guilty to second-degree charges of sexual assault and official misconduct, according to the office of Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni.

Under terms of the plea deal, prosecutors are recommending seven years in prison for the assault charge and five concurrent years for official misconduct. They seek to apply New Jersey's No Early Release Act to the assault charge, meaning that Fulton would be required to serve 85 percent of the term before parole eligibility.

The misconduct count would also carry a five-year parole ineligibility requirement. Finally, authorities said, Fulton would be required to undergo lifetime parole supervision, under terms of Megan's Law.

Investigators from the Prosecutor's office and Wall Township Police began the probe after contact by staffers of the Geraldine Thompson Nursing Home. They reported that an elderly woman claimed to have been sexually attacked by a staff member.

Authorities said that the woman could not identify the suspect at the time, but that forensics investigators traced the incident to Fulton, a certified nursing assistant while the facility was under County ownership and operation.

Fulton remains in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold. He is represented by Tinton Falls attorney Joseph Compitello. The County's case is led by Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fichter.