Jersey City cop sentenced to prison for assault on girlfriend, endangering child

torres2.JPGJersey City Police Officer Juan Torres is sentenced by Hudson County Superior Court Judge Fred Theemling to five years in state prison.

A Jersey City police officer will serve up to five years in prison for assaulting the mother of his child and endangering the 15-month-old girl even though his girlfriend testified at trial that she lied about the incident to police.

On Friday, the girlfriend, Stacy Stackow, tearfully pleaded for leniency before Officer Juan Torres, 29, was sentenced to 3 to 5 five years in prison and led away in handcuffs from the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Fred Theemling.

Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Pete Stoma said he would file paperwork requiring Torres to give up his position on the police department and Theemling said he would sign the order.

On the night of the crime in December 2008 Stackow did not come home for several hours after getting off work. Torres left their 15-month-old child home alone, went to his girlfriend's workplace and found her in a compromising position in a car with another man, officials said. When the officer opened the car door, the man took off running and Stackow went home, officials said.

But Torres stopped at a "couple of bars" before returning to the couple's Lembeck Avenue home about 4 a.m. and that's when the assault occurred, said Stoma, adding the victim did not suffer any significant injuries.

The jury convicted Torres even though Stackow testified at the trial that she instigated the attack and Torres did nothing more than defend himself. She also said that he was not armed during the incident.

Torres also took the stand during his trial, but the jury convicted him on the charges of possessing his service weapon for an unlawful purpose, simple assault and endangering the welfare of his 15-month-old child.

torres3.JPGView full sizeTracy Stackow, Torres' girlfriend, wipes away tears as she speaks during his sentencing.

Stackow originally said he had pointed his service weapon at her and pushed it against her several times while she had their daughter in her arms.

Prior to the sentencing Stoma told Theemling that "We are here today solely because of Juan Torres' inability to control his anger in a situation that did not warrant his criminal behavior. ... This is truly a tragic set of circumstance, but the tragedy belongs to Juan Torres and he must pay the price."

Torres was facing significantly more time. His lawyer, John Young, said he will be filing an appeal immediately and asked that Torres be allowed to remain free on bail pending the outcome.

Stoma objected, saying "It's time for Mr. Torres to serve his time," and Theemling agreed.
Torres, who has been free on bail since the day after his arrest, was led from court in handcuffs by Hudson County sheriff's officer and taken to jail.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.