WILDWOOD – A local man was arrested Saturday, Jan. 13, following an investigation into an alleged sexual assault on a juvenile victim, according to the county prosecutor and Wildwood police chief.
Jose Lopez-Ortiz is in the Cape May County jail pending court proceedings, facing allegations of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, the prosecutor’s office announced in a release Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Lopez-Ortiz, 27, was arrested following a joint investigation by the county prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit and the Wildwood Police Department, which was initiated Friday, Jan. 12, according to the release.
Lopez-Ortiz, of Wildwood, could face 25 years to life in prison, in accordance with the Jessica Lunsford Act, if convicted for an alleged sexual assault on a victim less than 13 years old, according to the release. The second-degree crimes carry a potential state prison sentence of five to 10 years if he is convicted.
According to Jeffrey H. Sutherland, the county prosecutor, this is an ongoing investigation and anyone with additional information can contact the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 609-465-1135, or anonymously through the prosecutor’s office website at cmcpo.tips, as well as through the Cape May County Sheriff’s Tip Line at cmcsherrif.net, where they can click on “anonymous tip,” or through Cape May County Crime Stoppers at 609-889-3597.
