An ex-Rutgers student and football player is considering a plea offer in an assault last year in New Brunswick. Watch video
NEW BRUNSWICK -- One of the ex-Rutgers University students indicted in December for his alleged involvement in an assault on Delafield Street in April 2015 is considering pleading guilty to charges that could expose him to jail time.
Delon Stephenson, who is also a former football player, was one of five ex- Rutgers students who appeared in Superior Court for a status conference on their charges before Judge Dennis Nieves Monday afternoon.
His attorney, Michael Orozco, said he and his client are considering an offer by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, but he gave no details as to what the offer was.
Stephenson is charged with second degree aggravated assault and other counts, but, later in the hearing, Nieves said the plea offer is to a third degree charge with the recommendation that Stephenson be placed on probation after he serve a certain amount of time in the Middlesex County jail. A second degree crime would put him in state prison for about seven years.
Nieves told Stephenson to consider the offer carefully and "the next time I see you I expect you to make a decision."
Stephenson said, "Yes."
Nieves said in January that Stephenson is the "main guy" in the assault on Delafield Street, a fight allegedly over a parking space that left the victim with a broken jaw, police said.
Stephenson is alleged to have thrown the punch in the assault that Tejay Johnson, Ruhann Peele, Nadir Barnwell, Delon's brother Daryl Stephenson and Razohnn Gross are accused of participating in.
Barnwell, Daryl Stephenson, and Gross were also in court Monday, but they received a new court date of April 25. They have applied for pre-trial intervention, but would only be accepted if Delon Stephenson entered a guilty plea in the case.
Orozco told the judge that the decision whether to plead guilty or go to trial will be made by April 25. Pre-trial Intervention is a probationary program for first-time offenders.
If they are allowed in, Daryl Stephenson, Gross and Barnwell would plead guilty to an offense but would have their records cleared after a few years if they stayed out of trouble, and would be spared jail time.
Ruhann Peele also appeared in court, but his case does not hinge on Delon Stephenson's plea offer because he is facing another indictment on charges unrelated to the Delafield case and has also received a plea offer, according to Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Deborah Hay.
His second case goes before a grand jury on March 30, she said.
Johnson was not in court. He has also been indicted in an unrelated case of three home invasions in New Brunswick with two other ex-football players, Lloyd Terry and Andre Boggs.
Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.