A 27-year-old Newark man was convicted yesterday of aggravated sexual assault while armed with a weapon for the 2015 sexual assault of a Galloway Township woman, Acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Diane Ruberton announced.
After a 3-day trial, an Atlantic County Jury found Patric D. Reed-Price, 27, of 12th Street, Newark, guilty of six criminal counts, in connection with the July 10, 2015 sexual assault of a 31-year-old woman inside her Galloway Township home.
Reed-Price was convicted of:
* Aggravated Sexual Assault While Armed With and Threatening to Use a Weapon—a crime of the 1st degree,
* Terroristic Threats—a 3rd degree crime,
* Criminal Trespass, for entering the dwelling of the victim—4th degree,
* Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Knife)—4th degree,
* Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose—3rd degree, and
* Witness Tampering—a 3rd degree crime.
* On July 10, 2015 at 9:54 p.m., police officers of the Galloway Township Police Department responded to a home on South New York Road, Galloway Township, for a reported disturbance. Upon arrival, police heard a female screaming from inside the home, and located the female victim and Reed-Price inside the residence.
* Reed-Price was taken into custody at the scene by Galloway Township police on outstanding warrants from another jurisdiction.
* The investigation at the scene determined that Reed-Price knew the victim and had unlawfully gained entry to the home. Reed-Price was waiting for the victim inside the home, and threatened her with a knife and sexually assaulted her when she arrived home from work.
Galloway Township Municipal Court Judge Howard E. Freed granted the victim a Temporary Restraining Order and authorized the charges of Aggravated Sexual Assault With a Weapon, Aggravated Assault, Terroristic Threats, Criminal Trespass, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.
Atlantic County Superior Court Judge J. Christopher Gibson set bail on the 1st degree Aggravated Sexual Assault With a Weapon at $250,000 full cash, and Reed-Price was lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility, where he has remained.
An Atlantic County Grand Jury indicted Reed-Price for his crimes on August 25, 2015. A superceding indictment that included the crime of Witness Tampering was presented to the Grand Jury on June 9, 2016. The State alleged that, in addition to his crimes the day of the 2015 assault, Reed-Price had, on April 13, 2016, “knowingly engaged in conduct which a reasonable person would believe would cause a witness to obstruct, delay, prevent, or impede that official proceeding.”
Yesterday afternoon, before Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Bernard E. DeLury, the jury deliberated for 1 hour before returning a guilty verdict on all six criminal counts.
Reed-Price was returned to the Atlantic County Justice Facility, pending his return to Court for sentencing.
A conviction for a 1st degree crime carries a potential sentence of incarceration in New Jersey State Prison for a period of 10-20 years.
A 3rd degree conviction carries a potential penalty of 3-5 years in prison, and a 4th degree conviction carries a potential penalty of: up to 18 months of imprisonment.
Assistant Prosecutor Erik Bergman, who represented the State in the case, said, “I am happy for the victim, and happy for the victim’s family. I hope that this helps to bring them closure.”