MENDHAM (NJ)
Daily Record
Written by
Peggy Wright
@peggywrightdr
A 38-year-old Mendham man was indicted Thursday on charges he used a sledgehammer to demolish a monument to victims of child sexual abuse outside St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Mendham.
The monument has been rebuilt and was dedicated last month.
A Morris County grand jury issued an indictment that charges Gordon D. Ellis with criminal mischief by causing $2,000 or more in damage to property, unlawful possession of a weapon, desecrating religious or sectarian premises, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Ellis, who is receiving mental health treatment at an inpatient facility, is accused of using a sledgehammer Nov. 18 to destroy the monument, a black basalt millstone. Authorities said they believe that Ellis, an unemployed chef, was intoxicated at the time.
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