Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today that an Essex County jury has convicted Ali Bass, 33, of Newark of resisting arrest, eluding, aggravated assault by eluding and unlawful possession of a weapon – a motor vehicle -- following a two-week trial before the Honorable Alfonse J. Cifelli, Judge of the Superior Court.
On Dec. 11, 2009 Bass, while driving a Ford Taurus, knowingly fled from Newark Police after being given a signal to stop. While eluding the police and driving on the wrong side of Irvine Turner Boulevard, a major thoroughfare in Newark, Bass crashed the Taurus he was driving head-on into a Toyota Tundra, causing injury to the driver of the Tundra.
Today, a jury convicted him in connection with the incident. Sentencing has been scheduled for Dec. 18.
Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab, who tried the case, said, “We want to thank the jury for their service. Ali Bass posed a clear danger to the public. With the jury’s verdict the streets of Newark are safer tonight.’’
Bass has six felony convictions. He faces a discretionary extended term of up to 20 years because of his prior convictions. Because aggravated assault by eluding is a No Early Release Act offense, Bass must serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
During the eluding trial, the state called three officers who all identified Bass as the driver. The defense called Arensio Payton aka Marvin Smith to assert that Payton was the driver and not Bass. However, in February of 2010, Payton, who was arrested and charged with obstruction for fleeing the front passenger seat, pled guilty to obstruction before Presiding Criminal Judge Ronald Wigler and stated that Bass was the driver and identified himself as the front seat passenger.
On Monday Bass will be back in court on a murder case in which Payton is a co-defendant.
In addition Bass has another homicide case listed for Monday in which he is the sole defendant in a double murder.