Mercer Store Owner Sexually Assaulted 2 Children: Prosecutor

MERCER COUNTY, NJ – A 51-year-old Trenton man has been charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and other offenses for sexually assaulting two children, Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey said Tuesday.

Rasheen Gaither was charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

According to a police investigation, Gaither sexually assault two minors in August. Probable cause was found and criminal complaints were filed alleging that Gaither sexually assaulted one child while she was spending the night at his house in Trenton and another while she was at an illegal dispensary Gaither operates in the city. Both girls were under the age of 13, Marbrey said.

On Sept. 5, detectives with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and Trenton police executed a search warrant at Gaither’s convenience store, “Bagged U,” in the 100 block of Pennington Avenue in Trenton.

He was taken into custody outside of the establishment without incident.

During a search of the premises, authorities seized approximately four pounds of marijuana and a handgun. Gaither was additionally charged with one count of second-degree certain persons not to possess a handgun.

The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain Gaither pending trial.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victim’s Unit Sergeant Sherika Salmon at (609) 960-3119. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online at www.mercercountyprosecutor.com.

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