Morris County man sentenced to 69 years in state prison for kidnapping, other charges
MORRISTOWN, NJ (Morris County) – A Morris County man was sentenced to 69 years in state prison for kidnapping, criminal sexual contact, and other offenses, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll.
Honorable Judge Ralph E. Amirata, J.S.C. on Friday sentenced Tyrone Ellison, 36, of Morristown as a persistent offender to 60 years New Jersey State Prison on the first-degree kidnapping offense, subject to the No Early Release Act, with a consecutive sentence of 9 years New Jersey State Prison on the second-degree possession with intent to distribute CDS which merged with a 5 year prison sentence on the third-degree possession of CDS offense, Carroll said.
Ellison also received a 5 year prison sentence on the third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact conviction to run concurrent to the kidnapping offense. Upon release Ellison is subject to Megan’s Law notification, and Parole Supervision for Life. His first eligibility for release on the kidnapping conviction is in approximately 51 years, Carroll said.
A jury had previously returned a guilty verdict for Ellison on Nov. 14, 2022. The charges against Ellison were tried before a jury between Nov. 3, 2022 and Nov. 14, 2022, presided over by Judge Amirata, Carroll said.
Ellison was found guilty of one count each of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree possession with intent to distribute CDS, third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, and third-degree possession of a CDS. The jury found him not guilty of third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but guilty of simple assault, Carroll said.
On Feb. 13, 2021, Ellison approached the victim in Newark and offered him a place to stay for the night, driving him back to Ellison’s Morristown residence. The victim fell asleep and awoke to Ellison contacting his intimate parts Carroll said.
Ellison displayed a handgun, would not allow the victim to access his cell phone, and confined the victim to the residence for most of the day. When the victim attempted to end another act of unwanted touching, Ellison struck the victim, causing injury, Carroll said.
The victim was secretly able to send a message to his mother and was later able to run out of the residence to her waiting car, Carroll said.
The incident was reported to law enforcement and during the investigation, several packages of methamphetamine that were packaged for distribution along with text conversations on Ellison’s phone relating to drug distribution were found in his residence, Carroll said.
