NJ School Counselor Sexually Assaulted 14-Year-Old, Prosecutors Say

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – A guidance counselor from a private Lawrenceville school has been charged with child endangerment and aggravated criminal sexual contact after driving a 14-year-old student to a college campus where he committed acts of sexual contact against her, authorities said Thursday.

Antoine A. Hart of Lawrenceville, a guidance counselor at Notre Dame High School, was arrested Wednesday and is being held at the Mercer County Corrections Center pending a court appearance, Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey said.

The 14-year-old Notre Dame student told police that earlier this month, Hart drove her to the Mercer County Community College campus in West Windsor, where he committed acts of sexual contact against her inside his vehicle, Marbrey said. Investigators also found that Hart, 53, had sent suggestive text messages to the student.

The case was investigated jointly by the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit, the Lawrence Township Police Department, and the West Windsor Police Department.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Special Victims Unit Sgt. Sherika Salmon at 609-960-3119 or Det. Michael Wherley at 609-989-6187.

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