A Union County grand jury has returned a three-count indictment against a North Plainfield police officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a hotel in Kenilworth last year, acting Union County Prosecutor Ann M. Luvera announced Thursday.
According to authorities, Mike Jean-Baptiste, 29, is charged with second-degree sexual assault, second-degree official misconduct, and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.
The Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit investigation into this matter was initiated by a referral from the Kenilworth Police Department, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Scott Peterson, who is prosecuting the case.
The investigation revealed that Jean-Baptiste first encountered the adult victim while on duty on March 2, 2017 and allegedly sexually assaulted her later that night at The Kenilworth, a hotel just off the Garden State Parkway, Peterson said.
Police arrested Jean-Baptiste in North Plainfield in July 2017 and lodged in Union County Jail.
Anyone with information about this alleged incident or other actions involving Jean-Baptiste is still urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Lt. Patricia Gusmano at 908-527-4630.
Convictions on charges of this nature are commonly punishable by terms of five to 10 years in state prison and registry as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.
These criminal charges are mere accusations. Each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.