'Facts' Will Exonerate Barnegat Man Who Had Rosie O'Donnell's Daughter In His Attic

Steven M. Sheerer’s attorney is confident that his client will eventually be cleared of obscenity and child endangerment charges in connection with the disappearance of Rosie O’Donnell’s daughter, according to app.com

Robert L. Tarver, Sheerer’s defense attorney, told Ocean County Superior Court Judge Joseph L. Foster that he has “some very interesting facts” he’s not sure the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office is aware of right now.

Sheerer made a brief appearance via videoconference on Monday afternoon. He did not enter a plea. Foster declined a request to reduce his $40,000 bail.

“It’s been suggested that he engaged in some sort of predatory behavior,” Tarver said of his client. “We will suggest that the facts don’t bear that out.’’

To read the app. story, click here.

From previous Patch stories:

Chelsea O’Donnell, 17, met Sheerer through the online dating app Tinder. She was found at his Village Drive house with Sheerer last Tuesday night in the attic with her therapy dog, Bear, according to Barnegat police. Her mother reported that she was missing earlier in the day, authorities have said.

Sheerer was charged with knowingly distributing obscene images to a minor, specifically a nude photo over the Internet and endangering the welfare of a child, Della Fave has said.

Sheerer - who has had a prior heroin conviction history - was arrested after an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit (HTCU), and the Barnegat and Long Beach Township police departments, said spokesman Al Della Fave.

Detectives from the High Tech Crime Unit and Barnegat police retrieved the 17-year-old victim’s cell phone with consent from the victim’s mother on Friday morning. Examination of the phone by the HTCU revealed evidence of inappropriate communications over the last several weeks between Sheerer and the minor. Consultation with Assistant Prosecutor Hillary Bryce resulted in the above charges being signed by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit.

Sheerer was arrested at his home in Barnegat at 8:30 p.m. Friday night. A search warrant was also executed and a computer and other digital equipment were seized as part of the continuing investigation, Della Fave said.

Sheerer is lodged in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River in default of $40,000 cash bail. The judge also mandated Nicole‘s Law, which stipulates that Sheerer have no contact with the victim or her family, he said.

Photo credit: Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.