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Senior corrections officers William Young, 35, of Marlton, and Gary Nieves, 53, of Burlington City, were arrested and charged, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said at a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
The officers were accused of assaulting the 18-year-old while assigned to the Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility in Bordentown.
"I stand before you as the chief law enforcement of the state and the head of the Department of Law and Public Safety, which is where the Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) is housed," Platkin said. "I also stand before you as a father and an advocate of progressive steps we've taken in the field of youth justice and in the ongoing reform of that system. But today, that system failed to keep a young woman in our care safe from harm."
Investigators said Nieves, a 53-year-old Burlington City man, sexually assaulted the teen multiple times in a bathroom while claiming she was cleaning the room and rolled a mop into the space as a prop. He was also accused of writing a note to the victim, telling her to say to investigators that he was like a "father figure" to her and "gives good advice."
Nieves graduated from JJC's training academy in 2004 and was first assigned to the Burlington County Juvenile Detention Center.
Young, a 35-year-old Marlton man, was accused of sexually assaulting the teen several times in her cell. Investigators said he pretended to supervise her cleaning her room during the assaults.
The JJC received information about the accusations on Wednesday, Aug. 14 but prosecutors didn't say when the assaults happened at the news conference.
"Individuals who guard correctional facilities have the important and difficult responsibility of ensuring those spaces remain safe and secure," said Stephen Ferketic, director of the state Division of Criminal Justice. "This is of particular importance in facilities that are occupied by juveniles and young offenders. The allegations in today's complaint constitute a complete violation of the duties of these positions of trust."
Nieves was charged with four counts of second-degree sexual assault, second-degree official misconduct, third-degree witness tampering, and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact. Young was charged with second-degree sexual assault and official misconduct, and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.
If convicted, Nieves and Young were facing up to ten years for each second-degree charge.
Anyone with information about the case should call Lt. Garrett Brown at 609-273-8631.
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