A Passaic County man has been sentenced to 28 years in state prison for sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13 in Plainfield for a period spanning two years, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Friday.
Javier Lopez, 29, of Paterson must serve at least 85 percent of a 19-year sentence for counts of first-degree aggravated assault and first-degree sexual assault before the possibility of parole. He then will serve a 9-year sentence for second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, applied consecutively under terms set down Friday by state Superior Court Judge John M. Deitch.
Lopez also must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and remain subject to parole supervision for life.
A Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit investigation into Lopez’s activities was launched as a result of a referral from the Plainfield Police Division in early 2014, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Barnes, who prosecuted the case.
Lopez was arrested and charged in June 2014 before his case went to trial in October 2016, Barnes said.
A Union County jury returned guilty verdicts following a three-week trial and approximately three hours of deliberation spread over two days.