ASBURY PARK An Asbury Park community leader convicted in May of
sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl in his care was sentenced to
eight years in prison this afternoon.
Warren Hall, 48, of Asbury Park, admitted he was guilty in a speech to
Superior Court Judge Paul F. Chaiet before the sentence was handed down.
"I tried to gratify myself'' with (his victim)¹ ,' Hall admitted in
court during his
speech to the judge prior to the sentencing being handed down. "I'm
here to tell you
that that doesn't happen to a man of a sound mind, but I'm here to
tell you that God has now provided me with a sound mind.'
Hall went on for nearly 30 minutes about how he has found God and is
trying to pull his life together.
He thanked assistant prosecutor Elaine Leschot for "doing a great job
of prosecuting this case."
Hall went on to quote from the Bible and to display a photo of the man
he credits
with renewing his focus and faith in God.
Hall was convicted of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a
child for the abuse that took place during the summer of 2003.
Hall will be forced to serve 85-percent of the 8-year sentence before
he is eligible
for parole.
Hall, at one point, was president of the Asbury Park school district's
Parent
Advisory Council, and was a past president of the school
Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO). He also led the Asbury Park chapter
of the National Action Network, a civil rights organization led by the
Rev. Al Sharpton.
In September 1999, Hall forfeited his job as a city firefighter after
reaching a plea
deal with the Prosecutor's Office.
Under the agreement, Hall admitted that he had planned, with a
co-defendant, to
assault Alonzo Maxin, whom Hall believed had burglarized his
residence. Hall pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.
Hall, who spent eight months in jail before entering his plea, had
worked for the
fire department for about 14 years.
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