FREEHOLD – A substitute teacher at Freehold Township High School was arrested Wednesday after an investigation revealed he engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with an underaged student, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Daniel Kropa, 24, of Stonehurst Blvd. in Freehold, is charged with second degree Sexual Assault and second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child. He was released after posting $100,000 bail, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O’Brien Kilgallen. Kropa was also ordered to have no contact with his victim, not return to the high school, and not have any unsupervised contact with children less than 18 years of age.

If convicted of the second degree offense of Sexual Assault or Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Kropa faces a sentence of five to 10 years in a New Jersey state prison on each count. The sentences would also be subject to the provisions of “Megan’s Law” and Parole Supervision for Life requiring a minimum of 15 years of parole supervision following his release from prison.

A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Bureau and Freehold Township Police Department uncovered the inappropriate sexual conduct occurred over a period of several months with a student who is under the age of 18.

The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutors Thomas Fichter and Tara Wilson.

Kropa is represented by Richard P. Lomurro, Esq. of Freehold.

Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.

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