Hazlet Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Nursing Home Patient

Todd Fulton, 43, a certified nursing assistant from Hazlet, has been charged with sexually assaulting a female patient who was in his care at the then Monmouth County owned Geraldine Thompson Care Center in Wall Township in 2015, according to an announcement by Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

A Monmouth County Grand Jury indicted Fulton on Friday for first degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, one count of second degree Sexual Assault and one count of second degree Official Misconduct. The defendant has been incarcerated without bail at the Monmouth County Correctional Institute in Freehold since February 16, 2017.

On April 4, 2015, the administrative staff of the nursing home reported to the Wall Township Police that an elderly female patient disclosed she had been sexually assaulted by a member of the staff. The victim was not able to identify her assailant at the time of the disclosure. Fulton was identified as her alleged assailant through an investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey State Police Forensic Laboratory and the Wall Township police.

If convicted of first degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, Fulton faces a potential sentence of incarceration of up to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison; if convicted of second degree Sexual Assault, Fulton faces up to 10 years in prison. Pursuant to the “No Early Release Act,” both Aggravated Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault require that the defendant serve 85 percent of any sentence imposed before being eligible for release on parole. If convicted of second degree Official Misconduct, the defendant faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison with 5 years parole ineligibility.

The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fichter. Fulton is represented by Joseph Compitello, Esq., of Tinton Falls.