Crime & Safety
Morris County Teen Accused of Killing Father, Sexually Assaulting 15-Year-Old Girl
Restraining order sought by teen girl against Travis Hofstetter 30 minutes after bail maintained for alleged murder of father, report says.
The 18-year-old Kinnelon man accused of shooting and killing his own father in their Morris County home Sunday won’t have his bail reduced from $750,000 cash, and is also accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl earlier in the month.
At his arraignment in Superior Court in Morris County Wednesday, Judge James DeMarzo held the bail at $750,000, according to the Associated Press.
No motive has been made public yet, the report said.
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Just a half-hour later, Hofstetter was again the focus of a court hearing, where a 15-year-old girl and her mother sought a restraining order against the alleged killer, who they accused of sexually assaulting the girl just nine days before the murder, nj.com reported.
The alleged incident occurred on Feb. 7, when the girl and Hofstetter went to lunch and then a nearby park, followed by kissing in Hofstetter’s car, the report said. The girl alleged Hofstetter removed her clothes, forced her into oral sex, penetrated her with his fingers, and tried to convince her to have sex in the back of the car, the report said.
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Police arrived at a Wedgewood Drive home in the borough at 4:15 p.m. Sunday for a report of an unknown medical emergency. Upon arrival, they found James Hofstetter, 57, dead from gunshot wounds, Knapp said.
An investigation led to a search for Travis Hofstetter, who was located a short time later by the Hardyston Township Police near the Skylands Ice World on Route 23 in Stockholm, New Jersey, Knapp said.
On Monday Travis Hofstetter was charged with one count of murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. He was remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility.
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