A Glenwood NJ man recently pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and was sentenced to 9 years in New Jersey State Prison.
The defendant was accused of having sexual contact with a child in March 2013. According to a press release issued by the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, the defendant “engaged in sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of a child, the child being less than 13 years old.”
The defendant could have been looking at more serious charges of aggravated sexual assault because the victim was less than 13 years old and he was more than 4 years older than the victim. Aggravated sexual assault is classified as a first degree felony, which ordinarily carries a potential sentence of 10–20 years in New Jersey State Prison.
The defendant and the prosecution reached a plea agreement on the lesser charge in April; however, sentencing was delayed until September.
As a result of the plea agreement involving the lesser charge, the prosecution recommended a more lenient sentence for the defendant when the deal was announced in Sussex County Superior Court in Newton, NJ. The superior court judge accepted the terms of the deal and ordered the defendant to serve a sentence of 9 years in state prison.
For more information about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Sussex Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Sexual Contact with a Child.”