NEW JERSEY
South Jersey Times
By Alex Young/South Jersey Times
on April 14, 2014
SALEM — The former Salem City pastor accused of sexually assaulting a minor was arraigned Monday in Salem County Superior Court, where it was revealed that a relative was his alleged victim.
Jonathan H. Smith, 59, appeared at the county courthouse on Market Street to hear the charges filed against him and entered a plea of not guilty before Superior Court Judge Timothy Farrell.
While reading a summary of the case during the hearing, Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Rastelli revealed that the alleged victim was a minor relative, who spent time at Smith’s Market Street home during the summer of 2013.
Rastelli said the boy’s mother became concerned when he returned home after his time in Salem and something didn’t seem right.
The boy told his mother about the alleged incidents who then alerted the authorities.
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