Manchester Township Man Charged By Indictment With Multiple Sex Crimes
Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 11:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
FREEHOLD, NJ.- On Monday, September 16, 2024, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago reported that a Grand Jury sitting in Monmouth County, New Jersey, has returned an indictment against a former local youth gymnastics coach for allegedly sexually assaulting three student-athletes when they were minors.
Sasha C. Raught, 56, of Manchester Township, New Jersey, is charged in the indictment with first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault; and three counts of second-degree Sexual Assault.
Investigation Uncovers
The charges stem from an investigation by members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Bureau that revealed that Raught had entered into inappropriate sexual relationships with three of his former athletes when all three were teenagers.
The first two alleged incidents occurred when Raught was employed at Shrewsbury Gymnastics in the mid-1990s, and the third incident occurred in 2008 when Raught was employed at Jonas Gymnastics in Marlboro, New Jersey.
Following the investigation, Raught was taken into custody at his Manchester Township home without incident in May 2023 by Detectives of Monmouth County Special Victims Bureau members and the Shrewsbury Police Department with assistance from the Manchester Township Police Department. After being taken into custody, Raught was processed on the charges and lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation or Raught’s activities is urged to contact Detective Joseph Pahopin of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at (800) 533-7443. All calls will be kept confidential.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
