A Lakewood man was sentenced to prison today for failure to register with Megan’s Law, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced today.

On Friday August 28, 2015 the Honorable Linda G. Baxter sentenced thirty six (36) year old defendant Lester T. Puryear, having a last known address in Lakewood Township, to a period of three hundred sixty four (364) days in the Ocean County Jail as a condition of probation for a guilty plea accepted on Monday July 13, 2015 to an indictment for the third (3RD) degree crime of Failure to Register pursuant to Megan’s Law.

This matter was prosecuted by Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Ehsan F. Chowdhry of the Megan’s Law Unit of the Special Investigations Bureau and Assistant Deputy Public Defender Ernest A. Ryberg represented Puryear. Chowdhry argued that this was an appropriate sentence in light of the facts and circumstances of this case.

The crime date occurred on or about Monday March 16, 2015 out of the Township of Lakewood and the criminal complaint was initiated by Lakewood Township Police Officer Kenneth Burdge. Puryear is required to register annually and the aforementioned officer verified that the defendant had moved out from his listed address and failed to register with the Lakewood Township Police Department within ten (10) days of his intention of moving out. Puryear was arrested on May 22, 2015 and bail was set at that time of $10,000 no 10% option. Puryear has been continuously incarcerated since the date of his arrest.

Upon release from the county jail, Puryear will still have to comply with the underlying parameters of Megan’s Law and the terms and conditions of probation. Any violation of probation could potentially subject the defendant to up to five (5) years in state prison with up a to maximum $15,000 fine.

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