MEDIA RELEASE – DECEMBER 7, 2012
RARITAN TOWNSHIP MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MULTIPLE WEAPONS CHARGES
Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns, III announced the guilty plea of James Patrick Donovan, age 37, of Raritan Township. The Prosecutor reported that in June of 2012, detectives received information that Donovan was stockpiling and selling assault weapons, ammunition, and explosives in his Raritan Township residence. The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office Gangs, Guns, and Narcotics Task Force led the investigation. SWAT Teams from Hunterdon and Somerset counties participated in the arrest of Donovan.
According to Prosecutor Kearns, “After an undercover operation, Mr. Donovan was arrested on June 15, 2012 on multiple counts of Unlawful Possession of Weapons, Unlawful Possession of Assault Firearms, Certain Persons Not to Possess Weapons, and Possession of a Destructive Device.”
Donovan pleaded guilty on December 6, 2012 to Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons 2nd degree, Unlawful Possession of Assault Firearm 2nd degree, and Possession of a Destructive Device 3rd degree.
The prosecutor’s office has recommended a sentence of 5 years in state prison with no parole eligibility on the first count, 5 years on the second count, and three years on the third count, all to run concurrent.
The Honorable Stephen B. Rubin scheduled sentencing for February 8, 2013. Assistant Prosecutor Michael Sweeney handled the case.
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