ELIZABETH — A Somerset County man has been sentenced to 50 years in state prison for the 2009 kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault of a woman in Elizabeth, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced today.
Donald Andrews, 43, whose last known address was in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards, must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole, according to the terms imposed Friday by presiding state Superior Court Judge Stuart Peim. Andrews also will remain under parole supervision for life.
On Halloween night in 2009, the victim traveled to Elizabeth to meet friends, but became separated from them in an area that was unfamiliar to her, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Colleen Ruppert. Stranded, she started asking passersby about how to get to the Elizabeth train station, at which time Andrews approached and offered to give her a ride there, said Ruppert, who prosecuted the case.
Instead, Andrews drove the woman to a desolate part of the city, then dragged her out of the vehicle and behind a building before sexually assaulting her. Later, he threatened to kill the woman if she contacted police, Ruppert said.
The victim thereafter managed to get to a hospital for an examination, and forensic evidence led to Andrews being arrested and charged. He was convicted on offenses including kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, making terroristic threats, and others following a nearly two-week trial in May.