35-Year-Old Ex-Cape May County Corrections Officer Will Spend The Next 3 Decades In Prison For Sex Crimes On A Preteen Girl

Friday, August 9, 2024, 9:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

CAPE MAY, NJ.- On Thursday, August 8, 2024, Jonathan E. Perez, 35, of Woodbine, New Jersey, and former Cape May County Corrections Officer, appeared in Cape May County Superior Court and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Christine Smith to state prison in connection with the multiple sexual assaults of a preteen girl.

     According to Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland, following being charged in early 2023, on March 18, 2024, a trial began in Cape May County Superior Court, charging Perez with two counts of first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault; one count of second-degree Sexual Assault; and one count of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

     On April 12, 2024, a jury sitting in Cape May County, New Jersey, returned guilty verdicts on all four counts in the indictment.

     On Thursday, Perez appeared in court and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Christine Smith to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison. This sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act, which requires Perez to serve 85% of his custodial term before becoming eligible for parole. Additionally, Judge Smith ordered Perez to forfeit his Police Training Commission License and barred him from holding a public office or public employment. 

     Perez, upon his release from prison, will be under parole supervision for life and will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law requirements.

     The conviction and sentence are a result of an investigation by Detectives of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit in conjunction with the New Jersey State Police that unfolded when a young girl came forward in February 2023, reporting that she had been sexually abused by Perez.