Hudson County Superior Court Judge John Young issued former Jersey City Police Officer Denzel Suitt three years in New Jersey State Prison, along with parole ineligibility for two years, at his resentencing yesterday.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
On March 25th, 2018, Suitt conducted a stop of Jermaine Palms and Jonathan Davis, allegedly stealing $600 in the process, according to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.
A jury ultimately convicted him of theft in the value of $500 or less, official misconduct with a benefit not greater than $200. In June 2021, Young sentenced him to five years probation, 200 hours community service, and repaying Palms $500.
However, the HCPO successfully challenged the sentencing, with the Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division ruling in their favor last summer.
Young was initially set to resentence Suitt at the end of last month, but the matter ended up being postponed.
A clerk for Young’s chambers said that the decision had not yet been entered into the system and deferred comment to the HCPO, where spokeswoman Caitlin Mota relayed the basic details of the sentencing.
Neither Suitt or his attorney could be reached for comment on Friday, but he has maintained his innocence throughout this saga.
“I do plan on appealing the verdict. I feel as though it would only be right for me to do that, being that I’ve maintained my innocence the entire time,” Suitt told HCV in June 2021.
“This isn’t just something where I was seeking to avoid a prison sentence: this is something where I want to be vindicated.”
Black Law Enforcement Serving Community (BLESC), along with Black activists, rallied around Suitt back in April 2021 and asked for a new trial after Real Garden State published an in-depth feature questioning the legitimacy of the case.
