Minister who volunteered with kids freed pending trial in child sex assault case – NJ.com

A Cumberland County man accused of recording video of a sex act being performed on him by a 15-year-old girl was ordered released from jail pending trial on Thursday.

Allahdjinn Wright, 54, of Bridgeton, allegedly admitted to the incident during an interview with Bridgeton police and his attorney said he expressed remorse.

He is charged with sexual assault and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Wright, who has served as a minister, volunteers with local youth programs and is licensed as a marriage and family therapy counselor. He is also a certified alcohol and drug counselor, according to state records.

The alleged assault occurred last month in Wright’s vehicle.

The video came to light when a teen in Wright’s care told police he found it on the defendant’s phone, Assistant Prosecutor Holly Fanelle said during the Thursday hearing.

The teen believed Wright was the person in the video with the victim, based on the vehicle and clothing seen, as well as a work ID belonging to Wright, investigators say.

Prosecutors allege that Wright began touching the victim, unzipped his pants and pulled her head toward him, Fanelle said, then recorded the incident with his phone.

While the victim said this was the only sexual contact they had, she described text messages in which Wright sought “photos that were sexual in nature,” the prosecutor noted. He’s also accused of sending her the video of the assault.

Wright initially tried to say he wasn’t the person in the video, the prosecutor said, but he ultimately confessed.

“His version of how it happened was much different. He kind of set forth that he was sort of forced in a way, which doesn’t really make sense because he took a video of it,” Fanelle said.

Defense attorney Terry Stomel didn’t challenge probable cause for the charges, but said he had not seen references to his client claiming he was forced in the reports he had reviewed.

Fanelle sought Wright’s pre-trial detention, arguing that he posed a risk to local children, including the victim.

“The state’s concern is that this was an at-risk child, which he took an interest in her life,” the prosecutor said. “It’s concerning that if he’s released there will be continued contact with her, risks to that victim as well as other children.”

Wright works with at-risk youth in the Bridgeton area, the prosecutor said, and was in the process of getting approved as a foster parent. She also described concerns that he could obstruct the case, citing police statements that Wright attempted to reset his cellphone when he learned an investigation was underway.

When he found out about allegations against him, Wright immediately went to local police and cooperated, Stomel countered.

“He was extremely remorseful, extremely upset,” Stomel said. “He knows that this is going to have an extremely detrimental effect upon his life.”

In seeking his client’s pre-trial release, Stomel noted that Wright has been gainfully employed his entire life and has no recent criminal charges.

Wright previously worked as a peer support specialist at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, a Rutgers spokeswoman confirmed. The spokeswoman was not able to say when he left that job.

His criminal history involves incidents from the 1990s and nothing since then, attorneys noted.

Stomel also described Wright’s strong family roots in the area as an indication that he will abide by any release instructions from the court.

“I know he’s going to catch holy-h from his family,” Stomel said. “There is no possible way that this gentleman is going to come back and get involved in a similar type of activity.”

Superior Court Judge George Gangloff found that the prosecution didn’t make its case for detaining Wright and ordered him freed pending trial based on findings of the court’s public safety assessment, which recommended his release.

Wright is not permitted to have any contact with the youths involved in the case, the judge stated, and must report to court officials on a regular basis.

The defendant said little during the hearing, which was conducted remotely with Wright appearing by video from jail. He only spoke to confirm that he understood the judge’s instructions.

He is due back in court April 21 for a pre-indictment hearing.

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.