SEASIDE HEIGHTS – Assault charges have been removed from an incident that occurred during a protest this summer.
On August 15, a Black Lives Matters protest took place on the Seaside Heights boardwalk. During the protest, a verbal altercation arose between Jamaal Holmes and Robert Lay, resulting in an alleged assault.
On August 18, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office reviewed the facts and details surrounding an allegation of simple assault against Jamaal Holmes.
An extensive investigation was launched by Detectives from the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), with several witnesses coming forward to provide insight. Within the investigation, 10 witnesses were interviewed and surveillance footage from the boardwalk was inspected along with the video footage that Jamaal Holmes posted to his Facebook page.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, the investigation concluded that there was not enough evidence to convict Holmes of assault, and the Simple Assault charge against Holmes was dismissed.
Additionally, Prosecutor Billhimer concluded that none of the arresting officers acted criminally.
