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NJ State Trooper Tried To Pay Girl For Sex, Asked For Sexual Pictures: Prosecutors NJ State Trooper Tried To Pay Girl For Sex, Asked For Sexual Pictures: Prosecutors
NJ State Trooper Tried To Pay Girl For Sex, Asked For Sexual Pictures: Prosecutors A state trooper was accused of trying to pay for sex from someone he believed was a teen girl and asking for sexual pictures, authorities said. Shane Dempsey, 31, of Brick Township, was arrested in Ewing on Monday, July 1, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release. Investigators said Dempsey contacted an undercover detective on the social media app Whisper earlier in 2024.  Prosecutors said Dempsey asked for "sexually explicit images" from the detective, who he thought was a 14-year-old girl. He also said he would pay money for a sex act fro…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man Accused Of Luring 13-Year-Old Girl For Sex In Atlantic City, Police Say Man Accused Of Luring 13-Year-Old Girl For Sex In Atlantic City, Police Say
Man Accused Of Luring 13-Year-Old Girl For Sex In Atlantic City, Police Say A Pleasantville man was accused of trying to have a sexual relationship with a teen girl, authorities said. Javier Erazo, 21, was arrested on Saturday, June 22, the Atlantic City Police Department said in a news release. Officers responded to a report of Erazo meeting up with a 13-year-old girl near Kingston and Sunset avenues at around 2:28 p.m. Police found the two and started talking with them about their relationship. Officers learned they had met on social media. Erazo was taken into custody after police learned he was aware of the girl's age and "wanted to engage in a sexual rel…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says
Special Education Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Student, Monmouth Prosecutor Says A special education teacher in Monmouth County was accused of sexually assaulting a student, authorities said. Allison Havemann-Niedrach, 43, of Jackson Township, was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced her arrest in a news release on Saturday, June 29.  Prosecutors said Havemann-Niedrach is a teacher at Freehold Intermediate School and according to her LinkedIn profile, she teaches special education in the borough's district. He…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Man Convicted After Video Catches Christmas Rape Of GF's Daughter In Atlantic City: Prosecutors Man Convicted After Video Catches Christmas Rape Of GF's Daughter In Atlantic City: Prosecutors
Man Convicted After Video Catches Christmas Rape Of GF's Daughter In Atlantic City: Prosecutors An Atlantic City man was convicted of raping his girlfriend's five-year-old daughter on Christmas, authorities said. A jury found 41-year-old Oscar Gomez Miralda guilty on Wednesday, June 26, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. He was convicted of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child by sexual conduct. Investigators said Gomez Miralda raped the girl at her home on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022. Her mother discovered what happened by using a camera phone to record her daughter's bedroom while she was at work…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
NJ Man Who Sexually Assaulted 8-Year-Old Gets 4 Years In Prison, Prosecutor Says NJ Man Who Sexually Assaulted 8-Year-Old Gets 4 Years In Prison, Prosecutor Says
NJ Man Who Sexually Assaulted 8-Year-Old Gets 4 Years In Prison, Prosecutor Says A 59-year-old New Jersey resident was sentenced to four years in state prison on Friday, June 14 for sexually assaulting an 8-year-old in 2022, authorities said. In March 2022, police began investigating after an 8-year-old said Raul Elias of Manville sexually assaulted her, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said.  Elias was subsequently convicted of endangering the welfare of a child in March 2024 after a three-day trial, authorities said. As part of his sentence, Elias must register as a sex offender and be on parole supervision for the rest of his life.  When sentencing…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Former Ocean City Lifeguard Sentenced After Sexual Misconduct Investigation Former Ocean City Lifeguard Sentenced After Sexual Misconduct Investigation
Former Ocean City Lifeguard Sentenced After Sexual Misconduct Investigation A former Ocean City lifeguard and Atlantic County teacher avoided jail time after he was accused of sexual misconduct, authorities said. Jonathan Howell, 42, of Marmora, was sentenced on Tuesday, June 18 to four years probation, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said in a news release. Howell was a member of the Ocean City Beach Patrol and a teacher in the Pleasantville School District. Investigators said social media posts in April 2021 made several accusations against members of Ocean City Beach Patrol, including Howell. "Since that time the prosecuto…

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by Chris Spiker
News
NJ Restaurant Owner Preyed On Job Applicant, Sexually Assaulted Others, Authorities Say NJ Restaurant Owner Preyed On Job Applicant, Sexually Assaulted Others, Authorities Say
NJ Restaurant Owner Preyed On Job Applicant, Sexually Assaulted Others, Authorities Say The owner of three restaurants in Trenton has been arrested for multiple sexual assaults including a job applicant, authorities said. Gerald Araya, 44, of Ewing, was arrested in Trenton on Wednesday, June 19, according to Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri, Lawrence Township Police Chief Christopher Longo and Trenton Police Director Steve Wilson.  He is charged with five counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, one count of first-degree sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault, one count of first-degree kidnapping, two counts o…

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by Jon Craig
News
NJ Amtrak Employee Lied To Feds Investigating Sleeper Car Sex Assault, DOJ Says NJ Amtrak Employee Lied To Feds Investigating Sleeper Car Sex Assault, DOJ Says
NJ Amtrak Employee Lied To Feds Investigating Sleeper Car Sex Assault, DOJ Says An Amtrak employee from New Jersey has been charged in a federal indictment for lying to federal investigators questioning him about a sexual assault he allegedly carried out on a passenger during a trip from Washington DC to Chicago, authorities said. Maurice Driver, 35, of Gloucester City, NJ, was charged with lying to a federal agent in a five-count indictment unsealed on Tuesday, June 4, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Mike Waters of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General Eastern Area Field Office announced. Driver had been working as a lead service atte…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
South Jersey Registered Sex Offender Who Sexually Abused 13-Year-Old Sentenced: Prosecutors South Jersey Registered Sex Offender Who Sexually Abused 13-Year-Old Sentenced: Prosecutors
South Jersey Registered Sex Offender Who Sexually Abused 13-Year-Old Sentenced: Prosecutors A registered sex offender in Atlantic County will spend more than a decade in prison for sexually assaulting a child, authorities said. Marcelino Cruz, 35, of Mullica Township, was sentenced on Tuesday, June 4 to 16 years in state prison, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. A jury found him guilty on Wednesday, Feb. 7 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 co…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Special Education Teacher Sexually Touched 14 Students In South Jersey: Prosecutor Special Education Teacher Sexually Touched 14 Students In South Jersey: Prosecutor
Special Education Teacher Sexually Touched 14 Students In South Jersey: Prosecutor A special education teacher who was charged last year with sexually touching seven children has been charged with touching an additional seven students, authorities said. Vincent Root, 59, of Philadelphia, a teacher at Chatsworth Elementary School, has been charged with 14 counts of sexual assault and 14 counts of child endangerment, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw The investigation began in September 2023 after a student accused Root of touching him inappropriately during previous school years, the prosecutor said. The investigation revealed that the victi…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
NJ Man Convicted Of Raping 12-Year-Old Girl He Met Online, Prosecutors Say NJ Man Convicted Of Raping 12-Year-Old Girl He Met Online, Prosecutors Say
NJ Man Convicted Of Raping 12-Year-Old Girl He Met Online, Prosecutors Say A 22-year-old Piscataway man was convicted on Tuesday, May 14 of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl he'd met online in 2021, authorities said. In July 2021, a 12-year-old girl said she was sexually assaulted in Bound Brook by Lenic Galvan, a man she met on social media, Somerset County Prosecutor John  McDonald said. Galvan arranged for transportation for the girl before he sexually assaulted her, authorities said. Following an investigation and DNA test, Galvan was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and was convicted of sexual assault by contact and endangering th…

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by Sam Barron