UPDATE: Lyft Driver Gets 7 Years For Fondling Pre-Teen Prospect Park Passenger Separate Times UPDATE: Lyft Driver Gets 7 Years For Fondling Pre-Teen Prospect Park Passenger Separate Times
Update: Lyft Driver Gets 7 Years For Fondling Pre-Teen Prospect Park Passenger Separate Times A former U.S. military member from Morris County who was convicted of sexually assaulting a Passaic County pre-teen while working as a Lyft driver was sentenced to seven years in state prison. Julio Mejia, 43, of Wharton also must register as a sex offender and remain under lifetime parole supervision, under the sentence handed down by Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Portelli in Paterson. Mejia rejected a plea deal after investigators said the underage Prospect Park girl told them he had sex with her after she took a Lyft ride in August 2019 and then again after several weeks of texting. He…
Cumberland County Coach Indicted For Sexually Assaulting Two Teenage Boys: Prosecutor Cumberland County Coach Indicted For Sexually Assaulting Two Teenage Boys: Prosecutor
Cumberland County Coach Indicted For Sexually Assaulting Two Teenage Boys: Prosecutor A youth sports coach from Cumberland County has been indicted on charges that he sexually assaulted two teenage boys, authorities said. Robert R. Marino, 73, of Bridgeton, was arrested on July 3, 2023, on charges related to an alleged incident involving a 16-year-old boy, they said. A grand jury indicted Marino on Jan. 24, according to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae.  A month after being charged in the first case, a second man claimed Marino sexually assaulted him for several years during the 1990s when he was a teenager and Marine was his coach, the prosecutor previ…
Female Substitute Teacher Sexually Assaulted Teen Girl In South Jersey: Prosecutor Female Substitute Teacher Sexually Assaulted Teen Girl In South Jersey: Prosecutor
Female Substitute Teacher Sexually Assaulted Teen Girl In South Jersey: Prosecutor A 27-year-old substitute teacher from Burlington County has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in Camden County, authorities said. Rebecca Coddington, of Browns Mills, sexually assaulted the girl multiple times between September 2019 and December 2023 at a home in Gloucester Township, according to Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay. Coddington is a substitute teacher in the Runnemede Public School District, but no allegations have been brought forward involving students, MacAulay said. Coddington was arrested in Gloucester Township on Feb. 5 by t…
Registered Sex Offender In NJ Convicted Of Sexually Abusing 13-Year-Old Registered Sex Offender In NJ Convicted Of Sexually Abusing 13-Year-Old
Registered Sex Offender In NJ Convicted Of Sexually Abusing 13-Year-Old A registered sex offender in Atlantic County was found guilty of sexually assaulting a child, authorities said. A jury convicted 34-year-old Marcelino Cruz of Mullica Township on Wednesday, Feb. 7, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said. Cruz was found guilty of second-degree sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and possession of child sexual abuse material. An investigation began when a 13-year-old's mother found disturbing text messages on the child's phone. Police confirmed Cruz, who was 33 at the time, was texting with the child. Investigators said Cruz s…
SEEN HIM? Retired Jersey Shore Corrections Officer In Child Sex Trafficking Case Now A Fugitive SEEN HIM? Retired Jersey Shore Corrections Officer In Child Sex Trafficking Case Now A Fugitive
Seen HIM? Retired Jersey Shore Corrections Officer In Child Sex Trafficking Case Now A Fugitive New Jersey authorities turned to the public for help Tuesday finding a retired New Jersey corrections officer who fled before he was stand to trial on charges of paying for sex with a trafficked minor. Kurt Young, 56, of South Dennis Township, was briefly jailed before being released following his arrest on Jan. 28, 2020, records show. Two co-defendants took pleas and got 15 to 20 years in state prison in exchange. Meanwhile, Young -- who investigators said was positively identified by the 14-year-old victim -- skipped out during jury selection for his trial in Cape May County las…
NJ Devils Players, Flyers Goalie Charged With Sex Assault: Legal Reps NJ Devils Players, Flyers Goalie Charged With Sex Assault: Legal Reps
NJ Devils Players, Flyers Goalie Charged With Sex Assault: Legal Reps The two New Jersey Devils players and the Philadelphia Flyers goalie who took leaves of absences last week have all been charged with sexual assault in London, Ontario, Daily Voice has learned Devils forward Michael McLeod, defenseman Cal Foote, and Flyers goalie Carter Hart — all members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team — requested leaves the same day that The Globe and Mail released a report saying police in Canada called for the surrender of five players from the 2018 Canadian World Junior team in connection with a sex assault investigation. All three were on the team. Seth W…
NJ Man Trying To Meet PA Middle Schooler Gets Prison Time, DA Says NJ Man Trying To Meet PA Middle Schooler Gets Prison Time, DA Says
NJ Man Trying To Meet PA Middle Schooler Gets Prison Time, DA Says A New Jersey man will spend up to a dozen years in a Pennsylvania state prison after authorities say he tried to meet with a middle schooler for sex.  Steven Boutte, 53, of Burlington, was convicted in December for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, criminal attempt to commit statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, and related counts, said the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.  Investigators said Boutte began a conversation with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl on a dating app in December 2022. He engaged in a "very sexual…
Cumberland County Man, 64, Found Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting 4-Year-Old Girl: Prosecutor Cumberland County Man, 64, Found Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting 4-Year-Old Girl: Prosecutor
Cumberland County Man, 64, Found Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting 4-Year-Old Girl: Prosecutor A 64-year-old man from Millville has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl, authorities said. Marvin Stidham was convicted by a Cumberland County jury on Thursday, Jan. 25 of second-degree sexual assault and third-degree child endangerment, according to county Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae. Stidham was acquitted on a charge of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, she said. The State presented evidence that Stidham engaged in sexual contact with a four-year-old girl in Commercial Township from June 1, 2021 to Nov. 11, 2021, Webb-McRae said. T…
NJ Devils Players' Leaves Of Absence Tied To 2018 Sex Assault Investigation? NJ Devils Players' Leaves Of Absence Tied To 2018 Sex Assault Investigation?
NJ Devils Players' Leaves Of Absence Tied To 2018 Sex Assault Investigation? Two New Jersey Devils players and one member of the Philadelphia Flyers  have been granted leaves of absence the same day that The Globe and Mail released a report saying police in Canada called for the surrender of five players from the 2018 Canadian World Junior team in connection with a sex assault investigation. Devils forward Michael McLeod, defenseman Cal Foote, and Flyers goalie Carter Hart — all members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team — have been granted a leave of absence.  The Devils said only that McLeod and Foote were requested and granted an indefinit…
Philly Ex-Con Forced Captive Girls Into Prostitution At NJ Hotels: Indictment Philly Ex-Con Forced Captive Girls Into Prostitution At NJ Hotels: Indictment
Philly Ex-Con Forced Captive Girls Into Prostitution At NJ Hotels: Indictment An ex-con who was captured after a 15-year-old victim escaped from a South Jersey hotel room was indicted on a host of charges that include human trafficking, promoting prostitution and sexually assaulting minors, authorities announced on Thursday. Nieem Johnson, 40, whose last known address was in Philadelphia, was arrested in Atlantic City last Aug. 31 following a months-long state investigation, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. A second victim was rescued during the arrest, Platkin said in a Jan. 18 release. “The allegations in the indictment – holding two victims in a…
Wildwood Man Sexually Assaults Girl: Prosecutor Wildwood Man Sexually Assaults Girl: Prosecutor
Wildwood Man Sexually Assaults Girl: Prosecutor A Wildwood man is accused of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13, authorities said. Wildwood police and the special victims unit for the county prosecutor's office opened an investigation on Friday, Jan. 12 into a child sexual assault claim against 27-year-old Jose Lopez-Ortiz, Cape May County prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland announced.  Lopez-Ortiz was arrested on Saturday, Jan. 13, and is being held at Cape May County Correctional Center. An arrest report said the girl told investigators she had been sexually assaulted several times in the last few months. The girl…
'Champion For Women's Empowerment:' NJ Mom Theresa Hester Dies At 55 'Champion For Women's Empowerment:' NJ Mom Theresa Hester Dies At 55
'Champion For Women's Empowerment:' NJ Mom Theresa Hester Dies At 55 Support is pouring in for the family of Morris County native Margaret ‘Theresa’ (Nunn) Hester, a devoted public servant and beloved mother who died on Monday, Dec. 11 following a brief battle with cancer at the age of 55. Born in Morristown, Theresa graduated from Dover High School in 1986 before attending Centenary University, her obituary says. Theresa dedicated her career to uplifting women and families in many different capacities. She worked for the NJ state Division on Women since 1998, both with the Department of Community Affairs and the Department of Children and Families. Her wor…