South Jersey Man Found Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting 4-Year-Old

COMMERCIAL TOWNSHIP, NJ — A jury returned several guilty verdicts and an acquittal Thursday for a man accused of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old in Cumberland County.

Marvin Stidham, 64, was convicted of second-degree sexual assault and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. But the jury found him not guilty of first-degree aggravated sexual assault — New Jersey's legal term for rape.

Prosecutors accused Stidham of sexually abusing a child between June 1 and Nov. 11, 2021, in Commercial Township.

Stidham, of Millville, faces sentences of 5 to 10 years in prison for second-degree sexual assault and 3 to 5 years for the child-endangerment offense. He would need to serve 85 percent of the term for sexual assault before potentially qualifying for parole.

The state, however, filed an application for an extended term of 15 to 25 years in prison, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office.

Stidham will also need to register as a sex offender and comply with the conditions of parole supervision, upon release.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 21.

Stidham's relationship to the child was not immediately clear.