The Morris County jury of eight men and four women rejected the 35-year-old father’s claims that he was duped into giving a false confession by a detective who promised that he would get lenient treatment and custody of his 3½-year-old son in a divorce battle.

The jury gave its verdict after four days of deliberations. Seery stared at the panel and occasionally shook his head as individual jurors were polled on their findings. The Denville resident, who has worked as a bouncer, substitute teacher and landscaper, faces as much as 22 years in state prison when sentenced Jan. 25, and he will have to register upon release as a convicted sex offender under the terms of Megan’s Law.

At the request of Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, Superior Court Judge John J. Harper increased Seery’s bail from $20,000 to $250,000. The judge rejected defense lawyer Robert Cherry’s pleas that Seery be given a day or two to post the bail, and he was handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom by sheriff’s officers.

Cherry said he expects to file a motion for a new trial based upon "judicial errors" in the case. Calderwood and Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Gross had argued that Seery took advantage of the girls by preying upon their vulnerabilities of low self-esteem, suicidal tendencies and desires for attention and affection.

Seery, who has an infant son from his present marriage, worked as a night attendant at the Devereux-Deerhaven School for socially and emotionally disturbed girls between November 11, 1996, and Feb. 27, 1997. The school closed in August 2000 after first Seery and then two other male employees were charged with sexual trysts with residents.

Prosecutor’s Office Detective Brian Keane interviewed Seery on Feb. 28, 1997, about allegations of sexual misconduct with two Devereux girls and rumors that he had intercourse with a third. Seery initially denied everything, but then stated that one girl tried to kiss him. He was released without being charged. He then contacted Keane within hours and gave a graphic, taped confession to fondling one girl, touching the genitals of a second and having intercourse with a third after he brought her back to Devereux from an aborted runaway attempt. The girls were between the ages of 13 and 18 at the time.

After Seery’s arrest in 1997, a girl who first met Seery as a substitute teacher in Mount Olive alleged he touched her genitals under her bikini bottom at Budd Lake when he was lifeguarding in 1995.

At trial, Seery told jurors he made up a confession to sexual incidents with the three Devereux girls because Keane advised him he would keep custody of a son from his first marriage and would be admitted into the Pre-Trial Intervention program for first-time offenders. Seery said he was told he would not even have to admit guilt, but would serve a time on probation and pay some fines to resolve any charges.

The jury found Seery guilty of the serious charge — first degree aggravated sexual assault on a 13-year-old resident in 1996 — even though this victim could not identify Seery in court and mistakenly pointed to a juror when asked to point out her assailant. Seery had confessed to molesting this girl, who was flown from her current home in the Dominican Republic for trial in Morris County.
 
 

Peggy Wright can be reached at pwright@morristo.gannett.com or (973) 267-1142.