Morris County, NJ – In a significant court ruling, Jessie Meneses, 37, formerly of Dover, New Jersey, has been found guilty on numerous charges stemming from a harrowing incident on September 5, 2021, involving kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault in Randolph, Victory Gardens, and Dover.
The verdict was delivered on February 2, 2024, after a six-day trial, finding Meneses guilty of two counts of first-degree kidnapping, three counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, along with several other charges of sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, terroristic threats, and witness tampering.
Scheduled for sentencing on March 8, 2024, before Judge Stephen J. Taylor, Meneses will remain in custody until then. The convictions for kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, and sexual assault fall under the No Early Release Act (NERA), requiring Meneses to serve at least 85% of his sentence before eligibility for parole.
The charges resulted from a distressing episode where Meneses sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend in his vehicle and then forcibly moved her across multiple jurisdictions, ending in Dover where she managed to escape and alert authorities. The investigation, conducted by local police departments and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes & Child Endangerment Unit, was initiated following the victim’s report. Further complicating the case, Meneses attempted to influence the victim to alter her testimony or retract her statements between April and October 2022.