41-Year-Old Plainfield Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting A Child While Employed As A Middle School Teacher

Tuesday, August 13, 2024, 4:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

TRENTON, NJ.- In an ultimate betrayal of public trust, on Monday, August 12, 2024, a 41-year-old Plainfield, New Jersey, man and a former Trenton, New Jersey, middle school teacher, and basketball coach was taken into custody and jailed following being charged with multiple sex crimes against a young child between 2014 through 2019.

     According to Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Theresa L. Hilton, Darrell R. Moody, 41, of Plainfield, New Jersey, was formally charged on Monday with one count of first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault; one count of second-degree Sexual Assault; two counts of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child; two counts of third-degree Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact; and two counts of fourth-degree Criminal Sexual Contact.

     Moody was processed on the charges and was remanded to the Mercer County Correctional Center pending future court proceedings in Mercer County Superior Court in Trenton, New Jersey.

     The charges stem from an investigation that unfolded in May 2024 when the victim contacted the Trenton Police Department to report the incidents of sexual assault that began when the child was in middle school. An investigation was launched into the allegation by members of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit in conjunction with Detectives of the Trenton Police Department.

     During the investigation, Detectives learned that the victim met Moody while he was teaching fifth grade at Parker Elementary School in Trenton. Following interviewing the child victim, Detectives learned that Moody sexually assaulted the child victim over several years, beginning when the child was in middle school and continuing into high school.

     During that period, Moody coached basketball at Joyce Kilmer Middle School.

     On June 27, 2024, in an unrelated incident, Moody was charged by Detectives of the South Plainfield Police Department with one count of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child; and one count of second-degree Solicitation of a Minor for Prostitution.

     If convicted on all the charges and due to the nature charges, Moody will face a potential minimum of 25 years, and up to life in New Jersey State Prison.

     The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the Mercer County Special Victims Unit at (609) 989-6568 or mcposuv@mercercounty.org.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”