Berkeley Sex Offender To Stay Jailed On Child Porn Charges: Prosecutor

BERKELEY, NJ — A registered sex offender in Berkeley recently charged with possession of child pornography will remain in jail pending his trial, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

Joseph Asfor, 45, was ordered by a judge to remain detained in the Ocean County Jail pending trial on charges of possession of child pornography and obstruction of justice, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced Tuesday.

Asfor has been in jail since his arrest on March 27.

He was previously convicted of sexual assault in Monmouth County in 2014, according to the New Jersey sex offender registry. He sexually assaulted a girl he was babysitting multiple times, records show.

On March 27, Homeland Security and local detectives executed a court-authorized search warrant on Asfor's Berkeley home, Billhimer said.

Asfor agreed to speak with detectives outside his home, but began acting erratically once outside, Billhimer said.

Detectives feared for Asfor's safety and took him into custody, Billhimer said. He was taken to the Berkeley Township Police Department.

An initial forensic investigation of Asfor's cell phone found "several" child pornography items, Billhimer said. He was then taken to Ocean County Jail.