Man Who Held Toms River Woman Captive at Gunpoint, Twice, Pleads Guilty

Deshaun Porter, 29, of Newark (Photo: Ocean County Jail)

The man who held a woman captive at gunpoint in a motel room – then did so again days later in a township residence, admitted his crimes in an Ocean County courtroom Wednesday.

Deshaun Porter, 29, of Newark, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault and a slew of weapons charges, including possession of a weapon by a person precluded from owning weapons, stemming from incidents at the Howard Johnson motel and the James Street Apartments, both in Toms River, on Nov. 3 and Nov. 6, 2020.

According to prosecutors, Porter admitted holding his girlfriend captive in the apartment on Nov. 6, when police first became involved in the case. That morning, Toms River police were called to an apartment on James Street for a report of a female victim being held against her will by a male suspect, later identified as Porter, with whom she had been in a relationship. Officers arrived on the scene at approximately 9 a.m., at which time Porter fled the apartment.

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Responding officers determined that Porter arrived at the apartment at approximately 4 a.m., held the female victim at gunpoint, and refused to allow her leave, prosecutors said in a statement.

As detectives looked into the case, they determined the dispute had begun days earlier, Nov. 3, at the Howard Johnson motel in the township. That day, Porter “forced his way into a hotel room, threatened the occupants with a handgun, and struck the same female victim in the face,” according to the statement.

On November 6, 2020, a warrant was issued for Porter’s arrest and his name was entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center Database. About a month later, on Dec. 9, 2020, Porter was taken into custody in Atlantic City by the United States Marshals Service, Atlantic City Metro Task Force, and New Jersey State Police. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been lodged since his apprehension.

Prosecutors say they will seek a sentence of seven years in New Jersey State Prison on the aggravated assault charge, five years on the weapons preclusion charges, and an additional five years for the weapons possession charges. The sentences would run concurrently, however Porter would be required to serve 85 percent of the prison term without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors, in their statement, did not list a scheduled sentencing date.