Willingboro, NJ, Homeless Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Elderly Woman
A 31-year-old homeless man has pled guilty to sexual assaulting an elderly woman at knifepoint during the summer of 2020 in Willingboro Township.
Under an agreement with the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, 31-year-old Shawn Midgette must serve 12 years in state prison in exchange for pleading guilty to a first-degree aggravated sexual assault charge.
Midgette, who at the time of his arrest in July 2020 was known to stay in the Willingboro area, also pleaded guilty to third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose for threatening another woman with a knife in a separate incident.
A five-year sentence for the weapons offense will run concurrently with the term for the assault.
Authorities say an investigation began July 24th, 2020, after an elderly woman was sexually assaulted in her vehicle by a man who asked her for a ride as she exited a pharmacy in the 100 block of Springside Road in Westampton.
The assailant forced her to drive to the Garfield East section of Willingboro where Midgette assaulted her and took cash from her purse before fleeing on foot.
The next day, Mount Holly police were contacted by a homeless woman who said she was threatened with a knife in Monroe Park. The victim was acquainted with Midgette, who was taken into custody two days later by Willingboro police.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 27th.
