An Absecon man already serving a 60-year sentence in a violent home invasion was given another eight years in a subsequent drug case.
During the investigation into the home invasion, the Atlantic County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force along with Franklin Township police and Atlantic City SWAT searched his secondary residence at Room 1921 in the Showboat and found about 4.8 grams of fentanyl/heroin and about 12.6 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine.
Several narcotic production facility items also were recovered, including five digital scales, cutting agents, boxes of empty heroin folds, spoons, ink stampers, mixers and sifters with residue.
Detectives also recovered a 50-round high-capacity ammunition magazine fully loaded with hollow-point bullets.
He would have to serve at least 85 percent of the new sentence, which is to run concurrent to the 60-year term he is currently serving in New Jersey State Prison. He also must forfeit $6,417.50 confiscated as proceeds from narcotics sales.
While Hayes admitted guilt in the drug case, he has maintained his innocence in the home invasion.
"I don't know you all," he said, addressing the family during his August 2023 sentencing in that case. "I've never been in your all's house. I feel sorry that this ever happened to you all, but the wrong person is in here."
Hayes claimed that if he had committed the crime, he would have taken the 10-year plea deal the state originally offered.
"Why?" the younger victim asked Hayes at that same sentencing. "That's what I would like to know. Why?"
Hayes and a never-caught accomplice had a tracker on the man's car for weeks before forcing him back inside the house at gunpoint that morning, and terrorizing the family, according to the state.
The victim, whose name is not being released publicly, said he never was involved in anything criminal, and has been working for the state since he was 20.
"What if my kids were in the car?" he asked, talking of regularly going to football practice. "Kids! Kids! You knew my every move. For what?"
But Hayes had no answers for the family, insisting the wrong man was convicted.
Hayes said, like the victim, he worked for everything he had.
But Hayes' criminal history painted a much different picture.
He has 11 prior indictments with several prison terms totaling sentences of more than 58 years, Judge William Miller said during sentencing.
That was his second first-degree robbery conviction.
Hayes remains in prison.
