Connect with us

New Jersey

NJ coach accused of sexually assaulting teen gymnasts on trampoline, painting nudes of young students

Published

on

NJ coach accused of sexually assaulting teen gymnasts on trampoline, painting nudes of young students


A youth gymnastics coach in New Jersey was indicted Monday for allegedly having sex with three teen athletes decades ago — including in his car, at his house, in a locker room and on a trampoline.

Authorities charged Sasha C. Raught, 56, of Manchester, with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and three counts of second-degree sexual assault for the alleged crimes, which prosecutors said happened when he worked at two private gymnastics schools in South Jersey during the 1990s and 2000s, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Sasha C. Raught, a youth gymnastics coach from South Jersey, has been indicted for allegedly having sex with three teen athletes years ago. Office of the Monmouth County Prosecutor
Raught in a gymnastics gym. Facebook / Sasha Raught

Raught also painted nudes of one athlete — and recorded videos of their sexual encounters, Monmouth County prosecutors said.

Local and county police arrested the coach at his Ocean County home in May 2023.

Advertisement

But an attorney from the Monmouth County Public Defender’s Office tried to poke holes in the state’s case at a June 2023 detention hearing by saying that one of the three athletes doesn’t want to pursue criminal charges against him, the Press said.

Authorities also investigated the second athlete’s charges back in 2008, but decided not to pursue a criminal case, according to attorney Sophia Miller.

Raught allegedly had sex with the athletes in his car, at his home, in the locker room and on a trampoline, reports said.

Miller claimed another victim was 17-years-old during her 1993 encounter with Raught — not 16, as prosecutors charged — and that the relationship had been consensual.

That would change the nature of the case, since state law at the time defined a child as under the age of 16 — meaning authorities couldn’t even hit Raught with a child endangerment charge, the Press said.

Raught’s current attorney, Daniel J. Holzapfel, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, authorities are asking anyone with information about Raught’s alleged misconduct to contact Detective Joseph Pahopin at 800-533-7443.



Source link

New Jersey

New Jersey State Police rescue bear cub on I-78

Published

on

New Jersey State Police rescue bear cub on I-78


play

Does a bear get rescued in the woods?

One lucky one in Union Township did.

Advertisement

According to a Facebook post by New Jersey State Police, “On April 1, at approximately 1:37 p.m., troopers from Troop “B” Perryville Station responded to an unusual call on I-78 East at milepost 12.2 in Union Township: a lone bear cub spotted in a roadside ditch.”

The cub was found alone, and needed help. The officers stepped in and likely saved his life

“Upon arrival, troopers found the small cub alone and in need of assistance,” the post read. “He was safely secured, transported back to the barracks, and later released to the Department of Environmental Protection for proper care. Thanks to the swift response of the troopers, the cub is now safe and receiving the attention he needs.”



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

New Jersey

Man arrested in New Jersey after missing woman’s body discovered in Georgia woods, GBI says

Published

on

Man arrested in New Jersey after missing woman’s body discovered in Georgia woods, GBI says


A suspect has been charged with the murder of a missing woman whose body was discovered weeks ago in a stretch of Georgia woods.

Authorities say 35-year-old Gainesville resident Loron Spaulding was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals in New Jersey earlier this week.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, officers had been searching for 30-year-old Diaja Benson since she was reported missing out of Dawson County on Feb. 20.

Advertisement

On the morning of March 13, agents with the GBI, the Cumming Police Department, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources found a body of a woman near Lanier 400 Parkway in Cumming. The body was later identified as Benson.

Diaja Benson’s body was found near Lanier 400 Parkway in Cumming weeks after she was reported missing.

CBS News Atlanta


Authorities have not shared any information about how they connected Spaulding with Benson’s death or if the two knew each other.

Advertisement

Spaulding remains in custody in New Jersey, facing a murder charge. He will eventually be extradited to Georgia, at which time he will be booked into the Fulton County Jail.

The investigation into the case remains ongoing. If you have any information that could help, call the GBI’s Regional Investigative Office in Cleveland at (706) 348-4866 or the agency’s tip line at 1-800-597-8477.



Source link

Continue Reading

New Jersey

Battle of the cinnamon rolls: Jersey City coffee shop caught in zoning dispute

Published

on

Battle of the cinnamon rolls: Jersey City coffee shop caught in zoning dispute


A popular Jersey City coffee shop is facing down a zoning complaint that could force them to temporarily shut their doors.

“I think our reaction when we heard of this most recent zoning complaint was just real frustration because we’ve done everything right,” said co-owner of the Hive, Kristin Karotkin.

Kristin and Catherine Willhoit run the Hive together.

They told News 12 they are permitted to sell coffee and baked goods under their current zoning designation, retail.

Advertisement

However, a nearby neighbor has filed a complaint seeking to have the business reclassified as a commercial restaurant, a move that could require The Hive to halt operations while the zoning issue is sorted out.

“The fact that one person is kind of challenging the way that zoning is interpreted really just feels like a kick in the gut for a business that’s not only beloved here in the neighborhood but has done everything we are supposed to,” Karotkin said.

City officials previously denied the neighbor’s initial complaint, but the issue is now back before the city following an appeal.

According to the appeal, the central issue comes down to one item: cinnamon rolls.

The complaint alleges The Hive is operating a commercial kitchen to bake them on-site.

Advertisement

The owners dispute that claim, though, and showed News 12 the shop’s oven, the only one on the premises.

“There’s nothing being made from scratch in the back room here,” Karotkin said. “It’s all made off-site and then baked here in our shops.”

Beyond their own business, the owners worry the outcome of the case could have broader implications for small businesses across Jersey City as well.

“A lot of small businesses, if this keeps happening in Jersey City, they’re going to stop trying — they’re going to stop coming here,” Karotkin said.

A zoning board meeting is scheduled for April 9, where officials are expected to make a determination on The Hive’s future.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending