William A. Garcia was living in Clementon when he was arrested for several sexual assaults he committed against a girl in Williamstown in 2005.
WOODBURY -- A South Jersey man was sentenced to more than a decade in state prison on Friday after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office has announced.
William A. Garcia, 35, admitted to having sexual contact with a 6-year-old girl on four occasions in 2005 while renting a room from her mother in Williamstown, according to the GCPO. The abuse was reported to police in 2013, at which point Garcia, who had since moved to Clementon, was arrested.
MORE: Man who had child sex assault conviction overturned gets $300K bail
An announcement from the GCPO said officials at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center at Avenel ruled that Garcia was not a "repetitive and compulsive" sex offender, meaning he will serve out his time in a normal state prison, rather than in special custody at Avenel. In addition to the initial sentence of 13 years for first-degree sexual assault, he was also given a concurrent five-year sentence for second-degree sexual assault.
Garcia, who is originally from Guatemala, was living in the United States illegally, the GCPO noted. In court proceedings, he reportedly said he did not know why he had assaulted the girl, saying "it was the work of the devil inside him."
Andy Polhamus may be reached at apolhamus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajpolhamus. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
