TOMS RIVER, NJ – A former Toms River Regional School District employee who worked in the district’s information technology department has been sentenced to thirty years in prison for sexually abusing minors.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on August 24, 2020, William Herflicker, III, 57, of Toms River, was sentenced to thirty years New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) by the Honorable Rochelle Gizinski, J.S.C., after having been found guilty of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C14-2a(1), following a two-week jury trial on January 22, 2020. Judge Gizinski sentenced Herflicker to fifteen years on each count to run consecutively; the sentences will be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act, requiring Herflicker to serve at least 85 percent of his total thirty year sentence. Herflicker was also found guilty of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2a(2), for which he was sentenced to fifteen years NJSP as to each count; two counts of Sexual Assault in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2b, for which he was sentenced to seven years NJSP as to each count; two counts of Sexual Assault in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2c(4), for which he was sentenced to seven years NJSP as to each count; two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(1), for which he was sentenced to seven years NJSP as to each count; and two counts of Criminal Sexual Contact in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3b, for which he was sentenced to eighteen months NJSP as to each count. The sentences on those counts will run concurrently. Additionally, Herflicker will be subject to the terms of Megan’s Law and Parole Supervision for Life.
Herflicker was indicted by the Grand Jury in June 2014 on the foregoing charges for sexual offenses which he committed against two minors over a five-year period spanning 2005 through 2010.
Prosecutor Billhimer would like to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Mara Brater who skillfully tried the case on behalf of the State, as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, and Toms River Township Police Department for their combined assistance which ultimately led to Herflicker’s conviction and lengthy state prison sentence. “Everyone involved in this case did an outstanding job to ensure that justice was achieved,” stated Prosecutor Billhimer. “This defendant’s conviction and sentence to state prison for the next thirty years – practically a life sentence given his age – are especially rewarding when one considers who his victims were at the time of these horrendous crimes: young and innocent children. He literally robbed those kids of their youth and innocence, and as a consequence will pay a heavy price in this life and the next,” the Prosecutor added. “I would like to take this opportunity to commend the courage exhibited by the victims in this case. Their bravery in coming forward and cooperating with law enforcement over these last several years in order to bring Herflicker to justice cannot be over-emphasized. It is truly awe-inspiring, and I am grateful for their heroism,” Prosecutor Billhimer concluded.