A Pleasantville man accused of kidnapping a teenage girl and attempting to assault her was ordered to remain in custody on Wednesday.
Kenneth Smith‑Harper, 45, allegedly offered the 16‑year‑old girl a ride while she was walking near Martin Luther King Avenue and North Third Street on September 11.
The girl informed police that after refusing twice, Smith‑Harper claimed to know her residence, prompting her to enter the vehicle out of fear.
He subsequently parked on West Jersey Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets, where he “forcefully hugged and attempted to kiss the victim with physical force,” the affidavit of probable cause states.
He allegedly offered payment and provided his phone number on a brown napkin bearing the name “Ken.”
The defense challenged the classification of a “couple of blocks” ride as kidnapping and contended that the charges were excessive.
Brian Perez testified that his client works as a limousine driver and food delivery worker, suggesting the offer likely constituted a service.
“She says she’s going to pick up her brother, and he says, ‘I’ll give you a ride there. You look familiar. I think I know where you live,’” Perez said. “If he wanted to kidnap this person, he wouldn’t take this person over to the school to pick up her brother. … He probably wouldn’t lay out his name and his contact information either.”
Judge William Miller said that while the girl did get to the school in the end, “what happened in the beginning and middle does comport with the elements of the statute (for the kidnapping charge).”
Surveillance video from the school shows “the victim was terrified,” Assistant Prosecutor Julie Mazur told the judge.
“You can see on surveillance where she looks over her shoulder once she gets to school to make sure he isn’t following her,” Mazur said. “And she reports immediately.”
The judge also questioned why the man would offer a ride for such a brief distance.
“I haven’t been told it was inclement weather or that it was a person who had crutches or was limping,” Miller said. “Why pick up a stranger and take them two blocks?”
Mazur also highlighted Smith‑Harper’s criminal history, noting that although the offenses occurred over a decade ago, they align with the current charges, including the criminal sexual contact allegation.
His prior convictions include resisting arrest, stalking, first‑degree robbery, and aggravated assault.
Perez indicated that those cases date to 2012 and asserted that his client has reformed since then.
The judge further observed that Smith‑Harper’s employment as a limousine driver raises concerns in light of the allegations.
“The facts of the case are concerning but, again, they are simply allegations,” Perez said.
Smith‑Harper faces charges of first‑degree kidnapping, second‑degree luring, third‑degree endangering the welfare of a child, and fourth‑degree criminal sexual contact.
The judge accepted the public‑safety assessment employed to determine pretrial detention under bail reform, which recommended denial of release.
Smith‑Harper will remain in the Atlantic County Justice Facility pending the case’s resolution.
Although the affidavit records a Pleasantville address, his attorney stated that Smith‑Harper has been relocating to Atlantic City’s Stanley Holmes Village to care for his mother.