Atantic City man arrested multiple times ordered held in jail

An Atlantic City man arrested six times within the past year was ordered held in jail Friday.

Sherif Ramadan, 40, has faced charges including theft, credit card fraud and trespassing, which included allegations he defecated on a desk when he broke into Atlantic City's City Hall last year .

In his latest arrest, Ramadan is accused of stealing a woman's car Sunday.

"I just took it for a ride," he allegedly told the woman, who already had called police.

He then walked away before police arrived.

Ramadan was later arrested.

His attorney argued Friday that the state's presentation showed that Ramadan did not intend to steal the vehicle, suggesting that the charge would eventually be downgraded to joyriding.

Ramadan is currently part of the At-Risk Initiative, which matches defendants who have issues such as mental health, homelessness and addiction with the resources they are lacking.

He has been receiving help from Jewish Family Services and Volunteers of America, according to information released during his detention hearing in July.

At that time, Judge Jeffrey Wilson agreed to release Ramadan due to the recommendation of pretrial services, which had been working with the defendant.

Wilson also lowered Ramadan's oversight from the highest level — weekly check-ins — to the lowest.

"I have never taken somebody from a Level 3 to a Level 1 ever," Wilson said when he made the move in July. "I don’t know if any other judge ever has anywhere in this state."

That release was revoked Friday, Judge Waldman not only ordered Ramadan held, but questioned whether he should be kept in mental health court considering the repeated arrests.

"One of my obligations in mental health court in addition to getting people into treatment, is to keep the community safe," Waldman said. "If he keeps getting charge after charge after charge — especially in something of this nature where he gets into somebody else's car and God knows what could have happened — I don't know if he should remain in the program. That remains to be seen.

Ramadan had 26 pending court matters when he was arrested inside Atlantic City's City Hall Oct. 2.

He pleaded guilty to burglary in December, and was released pending a sentence that would have put him on probation.

The arrests have continued.

He was back in jail in July, after a woman allegedly found him searching the inside of her car inside Resorts' parking garage .

Security captured him after he ran, and found him with some of the victim's belongings, including a wallet, according to the charges read at that detention hearing.