1Ocean County authorities booked 140-pound, 5-foot-5 Severiano Garcia-Morales into jail on August 7, on an array of deeply serious sex crime charges.

Local officials have not provided details about the arrest circumstances, but the charges suggest a lengthy and intense investigation.

Court records show Garcia-Morales faces multiple first- and second-degree offenses, including aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13, aggravated sexual assault of a minor between 13 and 16, and sexual assault charges involving victims significantly younger than himself.

He is also accused of endangering the welfare of a child, an offense that often accompanies more severe allegations in cases like this. The seriousness of these charges means that, if convicted, he could face decades in state prison.

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