MCPO Holds Promotional Ceremony for New Chief Assistant Prosecutor

From The Official Website of Morris County, NJ - 

Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, and Chief of Detectives Robert McNally announce the promotion of Tia Manochio to Chief Assistant Prosecutor.

A formal ceremony was held on April 3, 2023, in the Commissioner’s Public Meeting Room.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor Manochio will supervise the Family Division, which includes the Domestic Violence Unit, Domestic Violence Weapons and Firearms Returns, Juvenile, Missing Persons, and the Bias Crimes units.

Manochio’s legal career began with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office in 2001. She joined the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office as an Assistant Prosecutor in December 2002 and was assigned to the Domestic Violence Unit. In July 2007, she was promoted to supervise the Family Division, comprised of the Domestic Violence and Juvenile units, for a brief period. She has been tasked with being the legal supervisor of the DV and Weapons Return units for the past 16 years.

During her career, Manochio has conducted numerous jury trials arising from serious domestic violence incidents. Such trials included the attempted murder case of State v. Lynn Wilson, and two other murder trials as second chair - State v. George Melendez, who was found guilty of murder for shooting his wife to death and sentenced to life; and State v. Anthony Novellino, who was found guilty of stabbing his ex-wife to death and was sentenced to 50 years in NJSP. Manochio also prosecuted a triple fatal vehicular homicide case, State v. Damien D’Aleo, which resulted in a guilty plea to three counts of vehicular homicide and a sentence of 15 years.

Manochio has worked collaboratively to enhance the Morris County Family Justice Center, which provides victims of domestic violence with counseling, protection, legal assistance, children’s services and more. She is also a recurring panelist for the Attorney General’s Office at the Division of Criminal Justice’s Annual Domestic Violence Symposium and serves as co-chair of the Morris County Domestic Violence Working Group.

At the state level, Manochio is a member of the New Jersey State Supreme Court Domestic Violence Working Group, representing the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey (CPANJ). She works with the Attorney General’s Office on revisions to the law enforcement section of the New Jersey Domestic Violence Procedures Manual and serves in a working group for updating the NJ Learn Domestic Violence In-Service Training curriculum. She also participates in the newly-formed DV Firearms Weapon Forfeiture sub-committee.

Over the years, CAP Manochio has received numerous office commendations. In May of 2022, she was honored with receiving the 2021 Prosecutorial Award by the New Jersey Women in Law Enforcement Organization.