A Hammonton man accused of sexually assaulting his former stepdaughter for years was ordered detained Tuesday.
Daniel Bocelle, 43, was arrested last Monday as he pulled into his driveway.
Now an adult, the alleged victim told police that Bocelle began abusing her when she was 11 years old, and that his collection of guns and violence she saw his exhibit toward others left her in fear of reporting the abuse.
She said it began with Bocelle exposing his genitals “in a joking manner,” and progressed to nearly daily intercourse.
“I could go for some Popeye’s,” he would say, with the fast food restaurant a code word for sex, Assistant Prosecutor Dave Ruffenach said.
Text messages between the two seem to corroborate these claims, with Popeye’s mentioned, according to Ruffenach.
Video of the two having sex in a locker room was taken with Bocelle's cell phone, the woman told investigators.
It was not clear if that video exists, Ruffenach said, noting that more than 20 electronics were seized from Bocelle's residence.
A search of the home also found 32 firearms, several knives and $14,000 in cash, according to information released in court.
The owner of Razors Edge Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness Center also had a large amount of illegal steroids, Ruffenach told the judge.
Bocelle would coach the girl to deny the abuse, and said that anyone asking was just jealous of their relationship, she told detectives.
That apparently included the woman’s mother, who told detectives she suspected an “inappropriate relationship” between the two, but when she asked “both denied it and insulted her for thinking such.”
Defense attorney Leonard Grasso Jr. argued for Bocelle to be free while he fights the charges, which could carry a potential life sentence.
He pointed out that Bocelle is a business owner who also works another job, and that he had a support system including his current girlfriend and his parents, all living in Hammonton.
While Bocelle has no prior convictions, he was accused of beating his 3-year-old daughter in 2000, when he was station at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
He was acquitted at trial.
Ruffenach said the state had concerns for the victim’s safety if Bocelle was released.
“He’s a very strong man,” Ruffenach said. “If there was a will, there would be a way.”
Bocelle now will remain in the Atlantic County Justice Facility as his case goes through the courts. He’s due back in court in March.
