An Atlantic City convicted sex offender was ordered held in jail Thursday, after his fourth detention hearing in a year.
Corey Cornish, 34, was most recently arrested a week ago in Egg Harbor Township by police responding to a fight call, Assistant Prosecutor Paige Cramer said.
He was in possession of heroin, and also had failed to register as required under Megan's Law, according to his latest charges.
It was Cornish's fourth arrest since he was released from prison in July of last year, , after serving time for escaping detention after cutting off his ankle bracelet, BreakingAC previously reported.
He was then arrest that August, and again in December and last month.
All three times, the judges chose to release him, including the last two times in which two different judges went against the recommendation of the public safety assessment to detain him.
The assessment is used to help determine if a defendant should be held while their charges are pending under bail reform.
Cornish was previously convicted of first-degree sodomy on a juvenile, Cramer said in listing his prior convictions. It was not clear when he committed that crime.
He has a history of failures to register as a sex offender, including at least three other times in the past year.
Cornish insists he did register his address and that police went to the wrong apartment, public defender Hunter Hurst told the judge.
He was living at 3 S. Iowa Ave., she said, which is across from the Atlantic City Public Safety Building.
Cramer told the judge a detective relayed to her that both an allegedly incorrect apartment along with the one Cornish said was his were visited, and that Cornish was not there.
Cornish's attorney said that he was working full-time as a manager at A.C. Linen, and taking care of his newborn child, who is about to turn 2 months. He also is getting ready to complete his final semester at a technical school, Hurst said.
By the time he had that detention hearing, the woman had told investigators she did not want to pursue charges. It was not clear if she is the mother of the infant child.
Judge Donna Taylor — the fourth judge to rule on Cornish's detention — ordered him held in the Atlantic County Justice Facility on Thursday. She also granted the state's motion to revoke his prior release.
