Man Accused in Chester Sex Assault Indicted

A Warren County grand jury returned two indictments against Watchung resident Patrick Deck Thursday, stemming from investigations that followed a complaint made last year that he was videotaping in an amusement park bathroom, Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke said.

Among the counts and charges are three counts of endangering a welfare of a child, in the second degree, for photographing or filming a child in a sexual act and two counts of sexual assault by contact, second degree. These crimes occured in Chester Township, Watching and Somerset County respective, Burke said.

Deck, 52, is being held in the Warren County jail with bail set at $400,000.

Burke said the indictments include one with 11 separate counts including invasion of privacy, two counts of fourth-degree endangering the welfare of a child related to Deck's alleged possession of child pornography, three second-degree charges of endangering for allegedly filming or photographing a child engaging in a prohibited sexual act, two counts of second-degree sexual assault, and three counts of endangering a child through sexual contact.

The charges were filed in the days after police in Warren County and Watchung followed up on the complaint.

The second indictment is for illegal possession of a gun. 

Each of the second-degree charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison; the third degree charges punishable by up to 5 years.

Deck will face trial in Warren County, with no chance for a plea bargain after Superior Court Judge Ann Bartlett, sitting in Belvidere, agreed with a request by Assistant Prosecutor Kevin Brotzman for a mandated trial.

A further stipulation made by the court was that, in the event Deck is able to make bail, he will be held in house arrest with a restraining order furthering limiting his potential contact with children.