South Jersey Man Sentenced For Role In 2014 Armed Robbery

A South Jersey man has been sentenced to 17 years in New Jersey State prison for his role in a 2014 armed robbery, Cape May County Prosecutor Robert L. Taylor announced.

Jermaine Mills, 39, of the Rio Grande section of Middle Township, was sentenced on charges of first-degree robbery and two counts of third-degree witness tampering on Friday. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Mills was one of five people who were arrested in connection with the assault that took place on Sept. 21, 2014.

Members of the Lower Township Police Department responded to a disturbance in the Villas section of the township around 12:40 p.m. that day. Upon arrival, officers found a 23-year-old man lying in the street suffering from facial contusions.

He was taken to Cape Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released. He told the officers he had been “pistol whipped” and robbed of $800 by two strange men while visiting a friend. The officers subsequently stopped two vehicles that had left the area of the assault.

The first vehicle was driven by 34-year-old Christopher Hill, of Glenolden, Pennsylvania. Hill was found to be in possession of three handguns and 25 bags of suspected heroin, police said. Desiree Sangillo, 38, and Shaun Shuman, 34, both of the Villas, were in the other vehicle.

A further investigation by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Lower Township and Middle Township police departments resulted in the authorized search of a home in the Del Haven section of Middle Township by the Cape May County Regional SWAT team.

The search resulted in the seizure of another handgun and additional amounts of heroin, prescription pills, currency, drug paraphernalia and the recovery of items that were taken from the victim, police said.

Mills and 28-year-old Destyn Harper, of Wildwood, were arrested following this search. The charges for each person were as follows:

Mills was charged with robbery, a crime of the first degree, aggravated assault, a crime of the third degree, and numerous weapons offenses. Police also determined that he attempted to coerce witnesses into changing their stories.

Harper was charged with robbery, a crime of the first degree, aggravated assault, a crime of the third degree, and numerous weapons offenses.

Hill was charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a firearm while committing drug crimes, possession of hollow point bullets, possession of CDS with the intent to distribute, and possession of a hypodermic needle.

Sangillo was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, a crime of the second degree.

Shuman was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, a crime of the second degree.