By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Atlantic County announced that on September 24, Louis Stokes, 27, of Barnegat, was sentenced on charges of second-degree aggravated assault, second-degree possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose, and third-degree hindering apprehension.
Pursuant to the terms of his plea agreement, Stokes was sentenced to an aggregate term of five years in New Jersey State Prison, with an 85% period of parole ineligibility under the No Early Release Act and the Graves Act, officials stated.
Upon his release from prison, officials say, Stokes will be subject to intensive parole supervision for a period of three years.
According to officials, shortly before midnight on October 14, 2022, the Atlantic City Police Department responded to Sewell Avenue in Atlantic City, where they located a gunshot victim.
The victim had been shot once in the leg, and his injuries were non-life threatening, authorities say.
A crime scene consisting of eight expended 9mm shell casings were located nearby in the area of Pennsylvania and Adriatic Avenues, officials said.
Officials say through surveillance video, police learned that a group of men had been in the area of the shooting before fleeing inside a home together.
Stokes was arrested after he exited the home, and a consent search revealed three handguns, including a stolen 9mm handgun, which the ballistics laboratory later determined had been used to shoot the victim, according to officials.
Authorities say this handgun was found after it was hidden outside a second-floor window on an adjacent exterior windowsill.
Stokes’ DNA was present on two of the handguns, and he was identified as the shooter by an eyewitness, officials stated.
Officials said under oath during his guilty plea, Stokes admitted shooting the victim with the handgun, which he then hid in order to hinder his apprehension.