Palisades Park, NJ Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Young Girl
A Palisades Park, NJ man has been accused of multiple sexual assaults in less than one year.
20-year-old Malik Bell was previously charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl last summer. Last week, prosecutors filed additional charges against Bell. The new charges were filed after the father of the alleged victim told police that he had learned of inappropriate sexual activity between his 15-year-old daughter and Bell.
After being informed of the alleged illicit activity, police reached out to both the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit and the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.
According to prosecutors, Bell knew the alleged victim. However, authorities have yet to elaborate the exact nature of the relationship between Bell and the young girl.
Bell has been charged with sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
In New Jersey, sexual assault charges are governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2. As set forth by the statute, criminal sexual assault is classified as a second degree felony. In this case, if Bell is convicted of second degree sexual assault, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in NJ State Prison. Beyond that, since the No Early Release Act (NERA) applies to sexual assault convictions, Bell would be required to serve a minimum of 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
After being arrested, Bell was taken to the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, NJ, where he was held on $200,000 bail.
For more information about this case, see the NJ.com article entitled “Palisades Park Man Charged with Sexual Assault of 15-Year-Old Girl.”