Morris inmate charged in attack on corrections officer

The son of convicted wife-killer Anthony F. Novellino has been charged with assaulting a corrections officer at the Morris County jail, where he is being held on a robbery charge.

Anthony A. Novellino, 30, is accused of repeatedly punching county Corrections Officer Michael McCall in the face and head on the afternoon of March 25. He was officially charged with aggravated assault on a corrections officer during the performance of his duties, and bail was set at $20,000.

Novellino, in custody for the past 10 months, is in the process of trying to withdraw the guilty plea he entered in Superior Court, Morristown, in December to attempted robbery. In December, he pleaded guilty by admitting that he stole an idling Jaguar in Parsippany on June 12 and attempted to use force by continuing to drive as the owner tried to block his path.

Since the plea, Novellino has told a judge that he was using drugs at the time of the crime and wants to withdraw his guilty plea -- on which no decision has yet been made -- because the incident could be viewed as a theft instead of a more serious robbery or attempted robbery. The Prosecutor's Office had recommended a sentence of four years in prison, with 85 percent of the term to be served before parole consideration.

On March 25, Novellino was being held in a disciplinary detention unit because of some infractions, including hoarding prescription medication he is supposed to swallow as soon as a jail medical staff person administers it. McCall opened the door to Novellino's cell as part of a routine check and the inmate, who was standing by the door, allegedly lunged at the officer and punched him repeatedly, jail Undersheriff Joseph Pascale said.

Pascale said McCall may have been targeted because he is the officer who most recently wrote up Novellino for a violation of jail rules.

Other officers responded to help McCall and subdued and handcuffed Novellino. McCall was examined at a medical clinic and then returned to the jail to finish his shift, Pascale said.

Novellino's father was found guilty in 2014 of murdering his ex-wife Judith at their Denville home in 2010 and was sentenced to 50 years in state prison. The son's name had surfaced several times at trial as a source of dispute between the parents who had opposing views on dealing with their son's substance abuse problems.

On June 12, Parsippany police went to Exxon On The Run on Route 46 and met with the owner of a 2005 Jaguar that was stolen from the parking lot. The victim told police he came out of the store to see the Jaguar backing out of a parking space and he raised his arms and tried to block the theft but the driver took off. The vehicle was recovered undamaged in Newark.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@njpressmedia.com.