Tinton Falls man charged with promoting child prostitution will stay in jail
FREEHOLD — A Tinton Falls man will stay in jail pending his trial after being charged with promoting child prostitution, a judge ruled during his detention hearing Thursday.
Jerome L. Harbour, 41, is charged with first-degree promoting prostitution of a child, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child via sexual conduct, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child via non-sexual conduct, third-degree hindering apprehension, four third-degree narcotics offenses, fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, and fourth-degree obstruction of justice.
On Nov. 16, Tinton Falls police were notified that a 17-year-old girl might be in crisis somewhere in the area of Eatontown or Tinton Falls.
During the detention hearing, Ashley Behre, assistant prosecutor on the case, said the victim — originally from Florida — had only been in New Jersey for two weeks and was staying at a sober house at the time of the incident.
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Her parents, who live in Florida, were able to track her iPhone, leading police to a motel near the interchange of Route 18, Route 36 and the Garden State Parkway, Behre said. Harbour was living at the motel at the time.
During the search, police showed up at the door to his motel room twice, and each time he denied knowing anything about the victim, according to Behre. When they searched his room, they found the girl hiding under his mattress.
Her phone was found dumped in a neighboring town.
She met Harbour through her roommate at the sober house, the assistant prosecutor said, and the three of them had talked and hung out before the incident. In an interview, the victim said that he had offered her drugs in exchange for sex and tried to make multiple sexual advances towards her, which she stopped.
The victim also said Harbour showed her photos of men on Instagram and told her she could get paid for having sex with them.
Harbour had also denied having drugs, Behre said, but officers found over 15 grams of cocaine and other drugs in his room.
While he had admitted to disposing of the victim's phone, defense attorney Taylor DiBenedetto said during the detention hearing that his client claims the victim threw her own phone out after an angry call with her mother.
DiBenedetto also told the judge that the victim's interview is not clear and is "extremely inconsistent," and that her explanations were skewed by an ongoing mental health crisis.
Behre brought forward the defendant's legal record, stating that he faced drug charges as a juvenile and served time in State Prison for armed robbery, among other things.
Harbour's next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 4 at 2:30 p.m.
Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Tinton Falls man charged with crimes against a minor will stay in jail
