State v. Bryant

The opinion of the court was delivered by

BAXTER, J.A.D.

After entering a negotiated plea of guilty to the third-degree crime of endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4(a), defendant Pierce Bryant appeals from his October 13, 2009 conviction. He raises a single claim: “an insufficient factual basis was given by the defendant for this offense and, as such, the conviction should be set aside.” In particular, defendant urges us to construe the mental culpability element of the statute by holding that the mens rea element applies not only to the sexual conduct itself, but also to the…