A 19-year-old from Bingham will spend the next 24 years in prison after he pleaded guilty last Thursday to three counts of gross sexual assault against a minor under the age of ten.
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According to a Somerset County Sheriff’s Department press release on Wednesday, Justin T. Harris, 19, of Bingham pleaded guilty to the sexual assault charges over a year after his initial arrest on March 27, 2024.
Somerset Sheriff’s Department arrested Harris one day after receiving a Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) referral reporting a sexual assault on a young child.
Harris was transported to the Somerset County jail, where his bail was set at $100,000, though it was later reduced to $50,000 after his initial court appearance.
He was not able to pay bail even after the reduction, and remained in incarcerated.
After Thursday’s guilty plea, Justice Robert Mullen sentenced Harris to 24 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release during which Harris is forbidden from contact with minors, may not use or possess drugs, alcohol, or sexual material, and may have no contact with the victim.
He must also become a lifetime sex offender registrant.
Though the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department did not provide a mugshot of Harris, Recently Booked, a website that compiles mugshots, includes an image of a Justin Tykon Harris who was arrested in Somerset County, and whose arrest date and crime matched Harris’.
