MORRISTOWN — Three Morristown residents have been charged in connection with assaulting, robbing and threatening Lennon Baldwin, a 15-year-old Morristown High School freshman who committed suicide on March 28.

Michael Conway, 19, a senior at the high school, was arrested, along with two juveniles, in connection with a series of incidents in March, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi.

Lennon, an apparent victim of bullying, was found dead at his home in Morris Township.

On March 6, Lennon was the victim of an assault at the high school that was captured on the school surveillance system, according to Bianchi. A juvenile defendant was identified and suspended, Bianchi said.

The investigation revealed that on March 7, the defendant “made numerous attempts” to contact Baldwin to tell him to go to the school administration and say the incident was “a joke,” Bianchi said.

Baldwin did in fact, tell the dean of students on March 7 that the incident was a joke, Bianchi said.

Then, on March 9, Bianchi said, Conway, the juvenile involved in the first incident and a second juvenile met Lennon at the Century 21 parking garage in Morristown and stole money from him, telling him it was “punishment” for the March 6 incident and the suspension, Bianchi said.

Although Conway was allegedly present at the parking garage incident, he was not accused of taking part in the robbery.

Conway was charged only with false swearing for allegedly providing false statements to police and detectives of the prosecutor’s office. The charge is a fourth-degree crime that carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison, Bianchi said.

Bail for Conway was set at $1,500 with a 10 percent option and he was posting bail today, according to prosecutor’s spokesman Capt. Jeffrey Paul.

One juvenile was charged with robbery, terroristic threats, theft, conspiracy to commit robbery, obstruction of the administration of law and conspiracy to obstruct the administration of law, according to Paul.

The other juvenile was charged with simple assault, two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit theft, obstruction of the administration of law and conspiracy to obstruct the administration of law, Paul said.

Bianchi said judges have wide discretion in sentencing juveniles, who could be released or who could face incarceration.

The juveniles were sent to the Morris County Youth Detention Facility on March 22 and 23, Bianchi said, and then released under house arrest on March 27. Lennon killed himself the next day.

Bianchi said the incidents “perfectly fit” the definition of bullying. But he said he did not know if this is the first major criminal case following passage of the state’s tough new anti-bullying law, which became effective in September 2011, at the start of the present school year.

The new anti-bullying statute carries no criminal penalties but sets procedures for schools to deal with incidents and report criminal activities to law enforcement.The law was enacted after the suicide of 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, a gay Rutgers Unviersity student who was spied on by a remote video camera during an intimate encounter with another man.

The “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights” requires school officials to combat incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying, even if they occur off school grounds, if they “substantially interfere with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other students.”

The law sets a procedure for reporting and dealing with bullying incidents.

Bullies "prey on vulnerable, weak people who don't have access to groups of friends," Bianchi said.

But Lennon, who was described as being a championship bowler and an accomplished musician, appeared to be a sociable person with friends, so why would he take his own life?

“I can’t get into Lennon Baldwin’s mind,” Bianchi said. “Kids aren’t comfortable reporting these incidents. That’s why I love this law.”

“A lot of students know what happened and have information that would be relevant to us,” Bianchi said.

He said he has asked Morristown High School officials to hold off on administrative penalties against the students involved until the criminal investigation is over, saying those punishments might "taint" the probe.

Related coverage:

• Morristown teen's apparent suicide being investigated as possible bullying case, officials say

• Close-knit bowlers mourn 15-year-old teammate who died in an apparent suicide

• Death of Morristown High School student under investigation