COURT HOUSE – A former Cape May County corrections officer who had been found guilty of aggravated assault on a child has been sentenced to 30 years in prison and must register as a sex offender for life, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland said in a press release.

Sutherland, on Thursday, Aug. 8, announced the sentencing of Jonathan E. Perez, 35, from Woodbine. Perez was sentenced after the conclusion of a jury trial that began on March 18, in which Perez was charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault on a minor; one count of second-degree sexual assault; and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. On April 12, the jury returned a guilty verdict on all four counts.

Perez was charged after the victim’s mother told police, on Feb. 11, 2023, that Perez sexually assaulted her child between 2020 and Feb. 3, 2023. Perez was identified in an arrest report as the child’s stepfather. The report detailed Perez giving the child alcohol and allowing her to watch pornography. Perez was arrested in New York and returned to Cape May County, where he was lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Facility.

Sutherland said Perez’s arrest and subsequent trial were the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and the New Jersey State Police Woodbine barracks initiated in February 2023. Perez was sentenced to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the “No Early Release Act,” forfeiture of his Police Training Commission Law Enforcement License, barred from holding any public office or public employment, upon release he is subject to parole supervision for life, and he must register as a sex offender.

Sutherland said his office will continue to work hand in hand with the local municipalities to aggressively investigate and prosecute violent crimes within the county. He recognized the investigative efforts of the detectives, forensic nurses, medical professionals, victim advocates and Senior Assistant Prosecutor Bryna Batten, who prosecuted this case.

“The prosecution team worked with diligence and purpose, including our assistant prosecutors, detectives, the state police, the victim advocates, forensic nurses and our staff, to make sure justice was done for the victim and the victim’s family,” Sutherland said.