A Hudson County jury convicted a Jersey City man of a 2018 attempted sexual assault on Friday, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The jury found Darryl Smith, 35, guilty of attempting to sexually assault the victim, a 35-year-old woman also from Jersey City, on August 29, 2018, as she was walking on Pacific
Avenue in Jersey City at approximately 6:20 p.m., Suarez said in a statement.
The victim did not know the defendant prior to the attempted sexual assault. The jury deliberated for approximately two hours before returning their guilty verdict to
the sole count of the indictment.
Attempted sexual assault carries a term of five to ten years in state prison.
Due to his prior record, Smith is eligible to be sentenced to an extended term of up to 20 years as a persistent offender.
As a result, he will have to serve 85 percent of any sentence imposed without the possibility of parole.
The guilty verdict will also subject the defendant to registration under Megan’s Law and
parole supervision for Life.
Hudson County Superior Court Judge Mark Nelson and is scheduled to sentence the defendant on September 27, 2019.
The state was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Baginski from the Special Victims Unit of the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor and the Jersey City Police Department investigated the case.
