Pope Benedict XVI was mourned Thursday at a funeral service held in St. Peter’s Basilica and led by Pope Francis. A respected theologian, Benedict was the first pope to retire in six centuries and is remembered for his efforts to combat scandals and outreach to other faiths. However, his legacy was marred by the clergy sexual abuse scandal, with many survivors and advocates feeling he should have done more to address the issue. On the day of funeral, mourners and Catholic faithful, reflected on the religious leader, born in southern Germany, as Joseph Ratzinger. Pope Francis bowed and touched the coffin after Mass, and a supporters on St. Peter’s Square later chanted “Sainthood Now!”
A Camden man on Wednesday was sentenced to 54 years in prison for sexually assaulting an Atlantic City hotel maid in 2020, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Following a six-day trial in September, a jury convicted Kye Hardison, 35, of sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault and burglary.
Hardison was arrested in July 2020 after police were called to the Claridge Hotel for a report of a 61-year-old housemaid being sexually assaulted.
According to state law, anyone found guilty of first-degree aggravated sexual assault ordinarily is sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison, but given Hardison’s criminal history and the crimes’ nature, prosecutors sought an extended prison term.
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A Camden man was convicted Monday of sexually assaulting a Claridge hotel housekeeper in July 2020.
Atlantic County Superior Court Judge William Todd Miller, finding the state’s request plausible, agreed to the extended sentence, the Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.
After his release, Hardison will be subject to Megan’s Law sex offender rules and must undergo lifetime parole supervision.
Police responded to the Claridge at 3:14 p.m. July 7, 2020. After arriving, detectives found Hardison had unlawfully entered a 12th-floor hotel room. The victim, whose name was withheld by police, entered the room, seeing Hardison inside.
The woman left, but Hardison followed shortly after. The woman then went back into the room, and Hardison pushed her inside and physically and sexually assaulted her, police said.