Sex Abuse Monument Destruction Gets Man Probation, $7,500 Fine

The former Mendham resident that admitted to taking a sledgehammer to a church monument dedicated to victims of sex abuse by clergy members was sentenced to probation Friday, according to a report.

Gordon Ellis, 39, was given two years’ probation and continued psychiatric treatment along with a $7,500 restitution fine, dailyrecord.com reported.

Ellis admitted to destroying the monument and took a plea deal in January, which downgraded the original third-degree criminal mischief charge to disorderly persons. The crime occurred on Nov. 18, 2011. 

The monument, which stands outside St. Joseph Church in Mendham, was vandalized again in March 2013, but no suspects have been named, and Ellis has not been connected.

Ellis now lives in Morristown and is considered mentally ill.