A 29-YEAR-OLD HOMELESS MAN HAS BEEN INDICTED BY BURLINGTON COUNTY GRAND JURY
" A Burlington Grand Jury Has Returned An Indictment For Aggravated Sexual Assault & Weapons Offenses Against 29-Year-Old Homeless Man."
July 1, 2021 By Art Fletcher Reporting For: Englebrook Independent News,
MOUNT HOLLY, NJ.- On Wednesday, June 30, 2021, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott A. Coffina announced that a 29-Year-Old Homeless Man has been Indicted, by a Grand Jury sitting in Burlington County on charges of Sexually Assaulting two women last summer after threatening them if they resisted.
A Burlington Grand Jury returned two separate Indictments against Shawn Midgette charging him with Two Counts of First Degree Aggravated Sexually Assault; First Degree Robbery; Second Degree Aggravated Assault; Third Degree Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact; Two Counts of Third Degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; Two Counts of Fourth Degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon; and Two Counts of Fourth Degree Certain Persons Not to Possess Firearms.
The Indictments were Returned on June 24, 2021 and June 29, 2021, and signed by Prosecutor Scott A. Coffina. Midgette will be scheduled for an arraignment in the near future in Superior Court in Mount Holly, New Jersey.
The investigation began July 24, 2020, after an elderly woman was Sexually Assaulted in her vehicle by a man who asked for a ride as she exited a pharmacy in the 100 Block of Springside Road in Westampton, New Jersey. The assailant forced her to drive to the Garfield East Section of Willingboro, where he Assaulted her and took cash from her purse before fleeing on foot.
Midgette was immediately identified as a suspect, and Patrol Units in Willingboro, Mount Holly and Westampton began an active search for him. An Alert was issued to Law Enforcement Agencies in Burlington and Neighboring Counties, and investigators began checking area Homeless Shelters to determine where he had been staying.
On July 25, 2020, Mount Holly Police were contacted by a Homeless Woman who reported she was threatened with a knife and Sexually Assaulted in Monroe Park. The victim was acquainted with Midgette.
Midgette was taken into custody two later by Willingboro Police at the McDonald's Restaurant on Rancocas Road. The knife believed to be used during the assaults was found on his person.
Midgette is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Eife, Supervisor of The BCPO Major Crimes Unit Special Victims Section.
The investigation was conducted by The Willingboro Township Police Department, The Mount Holly Township Police Department, and The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, with assistance from The Westampton Township Police Department.
" The Rules Of The Court Require Us To Include A Statement, Which States: The Charges Are Merely Accusations And The Defendant And Or Defendants Are Presumed Innocent Unless And Until Proven Guilty Beyond Reasonable Doubt."
FILED UNDER JULY 1, 2021: LAW, BURLINGTON: