Prosecutor: Rehabbing Teen Sexually Assaulted by Drug Treatment Facility Teacher

A female teacher at Daytop New Jersey in Mendham has been arrested and charged with second degree sexual assault on a teen inpatient, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday.

Donna Peirce-Faley, 28, of Pompton Lakes, was arrested Nov. 6 after a joint investigation by the Mendham Borough Police and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

Peirce-Faley, a teacher at the drug treatment facility, allegedly had oral sex and sexual intercourse with an 18-year-old male while he was a court-ordered resident at the center, Prosecutor Fredric Knapp said.

Daytop staff members alerted authorities to suspicious activity, which launched the investigation, Knapp said.

While the alleged victim is an adult, Knapp said Peirce-Faley was charged specifically with violating NJS 2C:14-2c(2), which states, “The victim is on probation or parole, or is detained in a hospital, prison or other institution and the actor has supervisory or disciplinary power over the victim by virtue of the actor’s legal, professional or occupational status.”

Peirce-Faley was jailed at the Morris County Correctional Facility in lieu of $150,000 bail with no 10-percent option. If she is able to post bail, she is to have no contact with the victim or anyone under the age of 18.

Anyone with information relating to the incidents is asked to contact Det. Supervisor Anne-Marie Truppo of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes Unit at 973-285-6200.