Unregistered Sex Offender Found Living In Long Valley With Illegal Rifle, Cops Say

A Long Valley man was arrested Wednesday for not registering as a sex offender and found to be in possession of an unregistered weapon, police said.

Det. Sgt. Chris Bratus received an anonymous tip regarding an unregistered Megan’s Law offender living in Washington Township, Lt. Doug Compton said.

Bratus took that information and located Justin Rathfon, 23, living at a private business on West Mill Road, Compton said.

While speaking with Rathfon, police found the man in possession of a .22 caliber rifle, Compton said.

He was charged with sex offender failure to register, and unlawful possession of a weapon without a New Jersey Firearms Identification Card. Rathfon was remanded to Morris County Correctional Facility in lieu of $25,000 cash bail.

In May 2014, Rathfon, then living in Sparta, was sentenced to three years probation, a psychosexual evaluation, and $155 in fines after pleading guilty to criminal sexual contact that occurred in Vernon in Nov. 2013, according to the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Rathfon was arrested in Sept. 2014 when he moved to Rockaway and did not tell local police about his Megan’s Law Offender status, according to nj.com.

As of October 2014, there were a total of six registered sex offenders living in Washington Township, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

Bratus, Sgt. Jeff Almer, Sgt. Timothy Madden, Cpl. Brian Bigham, Officer Michael Thompson, Officer Kevin Barnes and K9 Cliff assisted in the investigation.

Pictured: Justin Rathfon. Photo Courtesy Sparta Police Department.

Subscribe to Long Valley Patch’s free daily newsletter for more local news, and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox, by clicking here.