FREEHOLD – Five officers with a combined total of more than 120 years of law-enforcement service were promoted to key supervisory positions within the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office during a ceremony held Monday, April 4, 2022, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced Tuesday.

Sworn in to their new roles in the Michael K. Cunningham Conference Room at the Prosecutor’s Office were newly minted Deputy Chief of Detectives Donna Morgan, Captain Richard Chapman, Lieutenants Brian Weisbrot and Gregory Hilton, and Sergeant Patrick Petruzziello.

“The individuals so honored yesterday constitute the very best of us, and we all feel deeply privileged to have such talented and motivated investigators installed into positions of leadership,” Acting Prosecutor Linskey said. “They have already made us proud – but we firmly believe that for each, their best is yet to come.”

With the promotion, Morgan became just the third woman to hold the title of Deputy Chief for the Office, with all three serving since 2006. Now in her 21st year with MCPO, Morgan started as a Detective in the Crime Scene Unit on September 4, 2001 – a week into the job, she and other fellow investigators would travel to Ground Zero to assist with the rescue and recovery efforts following the 9/11 terror attacks.

Morgan was promoted to Sergeant in 2007, promoted to Lieutenant in 2012, and advanced to Captain last year. Holding a doctorate and master’s degree in criminal justice, Deputy Chief Morgan also doubles as a Certified Public Manager, a state-certified EMT and firefighter, and a Certified Instructor with the New Jersey Police Training Commission since 2003.

In her prior roles, Morgan has either participated in or directly supervised many of the most high-profile investigations in the county over the past two decades. In addition, she has served as the Child Abduction Response Team (CART) commander on countless missing-child investigations, oversaw a comprehensive audit and revamp of the Office’s evidence vault, and even served as a mutual aid staging coordinator during periods of unrest or emergency, such as the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

Prior to joining the Prosecutor’s Office, Deputy Chief Morgan served as a Detective with the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and an Intelligence Research Analyst with the New Jersey State Police. She is the recipient of 11 commendations during the course of her career – three from the State Police, five from the Prosecutor’s Office, and three from partner law enforcement agencies for her collaborative work with them.  

The additional promoted investigators will be fulfilling the following roles:

Capt. Chapman will supervise the Office’s Criminal Investigation Section. He joined MCPO in 2003, now boasting a total of nearly 24 years in law enforcement, having previously served with the Asbury Park Police Department. Formerly MCPO’s Lieutenant in charge of the Major Crimes Bureau, directing its day-to-day operations and supervising a staff of 19, Chapman also oversaw the Homicide and Property Crimes units, the Fatal Motor Vehicle Accident Unit (FMVAU), and the Child Abduction Response Team (CART), among others. Chapman received the 200 Club of Monmouth County Merit Award in 2015 for saving the life of a man who was threatening to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge, calmly talking him down from a high ledge after about 15 minutes of conversation.

Lt. Hilton will supervise the Office’s Trial Support/Fugitives/Juvenile Crime/Administrative Service Bureau. He joined MCPO in 2014, having spent the previous 27 years as a Special Agent and Group Supervisor with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Previously MCPO’s Sergeant overseeing the Trial Support Unit, Hilton also has also managed the Narcotics Strike Force, running its day-to-day operations and supervising eight Detectives. In addition, he has managed the Office’s Equipment Supply and Distribution operations.

Lt. Weisbrot will supervise the Office’s Major Crimes Bureau. He joined MCPO in 2012 and now has a total of 20 years in law enforcement, having previously served as a Detective with the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, a Police Officer with the United States Capitol Police, and a Special Law Enforcement Officer with the Long Branch and Avon-by-the-Sea police departments. Previously, Weisbrot served as the Sergeant supervising the MCPO’s Asbury Park Satellite Office; in that capacity, he also oversaw the Monmouth County Arson Task Force (MCATF), served as an investigative liaison to the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team (MOCERT) and Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), and was an assistant with the Child Abduction Response Team (CART).

Sgt. Petruzziello will replace Lt. Weisbrot in supervising MCPO’s Asbury Park Satellite Office Unit. Previously a Detective assigned to the Major Crimes Bureau, investigating violent crimes, he joined the Office in 2014, previously serving as a Patrolman and later, a Detective, with the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department in Ocean County. Sgt. Petruzziello was assigned the role of Lead Detective on State v. Caneiro, a quadruple homicide that took place in Colts Neck in 2018, and for the last year has served as the Office’s Instructor for the Integrated Communication and Tactics (ICAT) and Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training regimens.