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Kevin Valverde-Cruz was sentenced on Friday, Sept. 8, as a result of his previously entered guilty plea to aggravated assault and eluding, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
On Oct. 18, 2022, detectives from the Lakewood Township Police Department observed a white Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling at a high rate of speed, and attempted a motor vehicle stop, Billhimer said.
Valverde-Cruz failed to stop and the pursuit was ultimately terminated on the Garden State Parkway due to public safety concerns, he said.
Later that evening, the same vehicle — confirmed by the vehicle’s New Jersey registration number from the first encounter — was located on the shoulder of the westbound lane of Central Avenue in Lakewood, the prosecutor said.
Valverde-Cruz did not comply with the detectives' commands, put the vehicle in reverse, and struck the detectives’ vehicle, Billhimer said.
Valverde-Cruz abruptly turned back into the roadway — almost striking the detectives — and fled the area, Billhimer said.
On Jan. 10, 2023, the Ocean County Regional SWAT executed a court-authorized search warrant on Valverde-Cruz’s residence in Jackson Township. Valverde-Cruz was taken into custody without incident, and processed at Lakewood Township Police Headquarters. The white Jeep Grand Cherokee was also located at the residence in Jackson Township.
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