Ocean County Man, Former Coach, Pleads Guilty To Child Sex Abuse

A Jackson Township man has pleaded guilty to additional charges of sexual contact with two more victims, the Middlesex County prosecutor said.

Christopher Tarver, 46, of Jackson, pleaded guilty last week to the remaining charges in an indictment, for endangering the welfare of a child in the third degree by engaging in sexual conduct with the child, two counts of official misconduct in the second degree, and one count of engaging in a pattern of official misconduct in the second degree, Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey said.

Tarver was the former Dunellen Recreation director and ex-Middlesex County men’s college basketball coach. Under an open plea agreement reached with Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Brian Shevlin, Tarver is facing a prison term of up to 25 years to run concurrent to the sentence he will receive for his 2017 trial conviction. As an open plea, there is no agreement as to the time he faces in state prison; that is left to the judge’s discretion.

Tarver is scheduled to be sentenced in New Brunswick by Superior Court Judge Colleen Flynn on May 4. Tarver was previously found guilty on Nov. 15, 2017, by a jury in a sex assault trial of 20 counts including eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, one count of engaging in a pattern of official misconduct, one count of sexual assault, five counts of criminal sexual contact, four counts of official misconduct, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child in by possessing child pornography.

Tarver is facing up to 50 years in prison, Carey said.

Tarver was arrested and charged during an investigation by Sgt. Frank DiNinno and Sgt. Karleen Duca, both of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The investigation began after one of the victims, now adult, notified authorities. That victim was a member of the Monmouth Power Sports Club, a travelling basketball team affiliated with the AAU. Tarver had been the coach and executive director of the team since 1995.

Tarver began working as the Dunellen Recreation director in 2004, but was suspended soon after he was arrested in 2014. Tarver was employed as a men’s basketball coach at Middlesex County College from October 21, 2006 to March 5, 2014 and became the college’s head basketball coach on June 24, 2010.

Prior Patch reporting: Ex-Dunellen Rec Director To Be Sentenced For Child Sex Crimes

Photo of Christopher Tarver provided by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office