Mercer County 'Serial Groper' Pleads Guilty: Police

A Mercer County man who has been labelled a “serial groper” has pleaded guilty to numerous counts of grabbing school-aged children, authorities announced.

Carlton Francis, 31, of Trenton, pleaded guilty to six counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri announced.

The incidents took place between June 2017 and February 2018 in Trenton’s East and West wards, Onofri said.

A majority of the incidents involved school age girls who were walking to school, according to nj.com. There were a total of seven separate incidents, including one in which Francis exposed himself to three girls.

Policecaptured one incident on video in September 2017, but were unable to identify the culprit, according to New Jersey 101.5. He was captured on video a second time in January, and police were ultimately able to identify Francis as the suspect. He was arrested in February.

Francis faces five years in state prison and will undergo an evaluation at the state Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenal, Onofri said. He will also be sentenced to parole supervision for life and will have to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 4.

The attached image of Carlton Francis was provided by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.