A Park Ridge NJ man has been accused of committing a sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl.

The suspect, a 46-year-old male from Park Ridge, was charged with aggravated sexual assault and child endangerment after officials with the NJ Division of Child Protection and Permanency determined that he engaged in inappropriate sexual activity with an underage girl.

Now the suspect faces additional criminal charges after he allegedly violated a court order and contacted the victim.

Moreover, the suspect’s wife has also been charged with a crime because she reportedly deleted the illegal communications from his cell phone.

After the suspect was arrested in October 2013, a Bergen County Superior Court judge barred the suspect from making any contact with the alleged victim in the case. In recent weeks, detectives with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit reportedly found out that the victim had gotten communications from the suspect.

The suspect is now charged with witness tampering, as well as the original sex crimes. Meanwhile, the suspect’s wife, a 44-year-old woman from Emerson NJ, faces criminal charges for witness tampering and hindering prosecution.

After being arrested and charged, both suspects were taken to the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, New Jersey.

If the sexual assault suspect is ultimately convicted on the very serious charges of aggravated sexual assault, he would be in store for significant criminal penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2, anyone who engages in unlawful sexual activity with a victim who is less than 13 years of age can be charged with a first degree felony. A conviction for first degree aggravated sexual assault carries a penalty of 10-20 years in NJ State Prison.

For more information about this case, access the NJ.com article, “Man Contacted Girl He Allegedly Sexually Assaulted, Cops Say.”