Man Sexually Assaulted, Robbed Woman At Gunpoint: Police

A Burlington County man stands accused of breaking into a woman’s home and sexually assaulting her at gunpoint before robbing her, police said Saturday evening.

Lawrence Pippins, 26, of Pemberton, is charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree robbery, second-degree burglary, second-degree certain persons not to have a weapon, two counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal restraint and third-degree terroristic threats.
Police say broke into a home on Ursinus Court in the University Park apartments in Pemberton through a window at about 2:45 a.m. on June 15.

He then sexually assaulted the victim at gunpoint and robbed her of money before leaving the apartment, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Pemberton Township Police Chief David H. Jantas said.
Investigators began canvassing the neighborhood a few hours later and the victim’s apartment was processed for evidence by the Prosecutor’s Office Crime Scene Unit. As a result of the investigation, police identified Pippins as a suspect, and police obtained warrants to search his house.

Those warrants were executed Friday night, and Pippins was arrested. The search warrant was executed by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey State Police (Technical Emergency and Mission Specialists Unit) and the Pemberton Township Police Department. Assistance was provided during the investigation by the New Jersey State Police Canine Unit.

He is lodged in the Burlington County Jail pending a hearing on the State's motion to detain him, which is scheduled for Tuesday in Superior Court. The case will be prepared for presentation to a Burlington County Grand Jury by Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Eife, the supervisor of the Prosecutor’s Office Sexual Assault/Child Abuse Unit.

"I want to commend the detectives from the BCPO Sexual Assault/Child Abuse Unit, the Crime Scene Unit, and many other detectives in our Office, as well as the assigned detectives from the Pemberton Township Police Department, for their diligent efforts in bringing this defendant to justice quickly and safely,” Coffina said. “This is a chilling crime that can affect the security of an entire community. We are fortunate that the excellent police work by these two agencies has taken this individual off the streets.”

The case was investigated by the Pemberton Township Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. The lead investigators are Pemberton Township Police Department Detective Danielle Hann and Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Matthew Delgado.

The attached image of Lawrence Pippins was provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office