Morristown Man Ordered To Remain Jailed On Sexual Assault Charges

MORRIS PLAINS , NJ – A 61-year-old Morristown man remains in jail Thursday after a judge denied his release after the police say the man sexually assaulted a woman suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s last week at the Arbor Terrace Senior Living Facility.

In a hearing Wednesday, Judge Thomas Critchley called the alleged actions of Anthony Ligon “heinous” and ordered him to remain in the Morris County Corrections Facility. According to court records, Ligon, who works as a maintenance technician at Arbor Terrace in Morris Plains, was discovered on top of a resident with his pants and underwear “completely off by another employee.

The victim, who is 77 and who was initially said to be 83, told police that she had been raped. Prosecutors said she punched Ligon in the back in an effort to get him off of her. The employee who discovered the assault said she heard the woman crying she was being hurt.

In his ruling that Ligon remain in jail until his court hearing on Wednesday, Critchley said that Ligon is a danger to the community.

“The nature and circumstances of this offense and what I consider to be the compelling weight of the evidence … make it clear and convincing that there should not be and cannot be an alternative to detention,” Critchley said during Wednesday’s hearing, according to The Daily Record.

Ligon is facing charges of sexual assault and criminal sexual contact. He is due back in court on Aug. 17.