Man Convicted In 2015 Sexual Assault Of Galloway Woman: Prosecutor

A Newark man has been convicted of aggravated sexual assault in a 2014 attack on a Galloway Township woman, Acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Diane Ruberton announced Friday night.

Patric D. Reed-Price, 27, was convicted by a jury of six criminal counts, in connection with the July 20, 2015 sexual assault of a 31-year-old woman inside her Galloway Township home.

The conviction came at the conclusion of a three-day trial. The jury deliberated for one hour.

He was convicted of first-degree aggravated sexual assault while armed with and threatening to use a weapon; third-degree terroristic threats; fourth-degree criminal trespass; fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon (knife); third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose; and third degree witness tampering.

Galloway Township Police responded to a home on South New York Road for a report of a disturbance at 9:54 p.m. on July 10, 2015.

Upon arrival, police heard a woman screaming from inside the home, and subsequently found the woman and Reed-Price inside the house.

Police arrested Reed-Price on outstanding warrants from another jurisdiction.

The investigation at the scene determined that Reed-Price knew the woman and had broken into her home. He was waiting for her when she got home from work, threatened her with a knife and sexually assaulted her.

The woman was granted a temporary restraining order, and Reed-Price was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, criminal trespass and unlawful possession of a weapon.

He has been lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility on $250,000 full cash bail since.

He was indicted on Aug. 25, 2015. A superseding indictment that included the crime of witness tampering was presented to the Grand Jury on June 9, 2016.

In addition to the crimes on July 25, 2015, the state said that on April 13, 2016, he “knowingly engaged in conduct which a reasonable person would believe would cause a witness to obstruct, delay, prevent, or impede that official proceeding.”

A conviction for a first-degree crime carries a potential sentence of incarceration in New Jersey State Prison for a period of 10-20 years. A third-degree conviction carries a potential penalty of 3-5 years in prison, and a fourth-degree conviction carries a potential penalty of: up to 18 months of imprisonment.

“I am happy for the victim, and happy for the victim’s family,” said Assistant Prosecutor Erik Bergman, who represented the state in the case. “I hope that this helps to bring them closure.”