Police Blotter: Busy Start to July as Lawrence Twp Cops Respond to Alleged Drug Crimes, DUIs, Thefts, & More

Drug Arrest

Jonathan D. Alston, 20, of White Pine Circle in Lawrence was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia after the Honda Civic he was driving was stopped by Officer Chris DiMeglio about 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, July 2, according to Lt. Charles Edgar, spokesman for Lawrence Township Police Department.

Edgar said DiMeglio stopped Alston’s car on Lawrence Road (Route 206) near Millerick Avenue after observing a routine traffic violation, but while he was interviewing Alston the officer allegedly smelled an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle’s interior. A search of Alston and the car revealed a small quantity of marijuana, a metal grinder and a pipe “commonly used to smoke marijuana,” he said.

In addition to the drug charges, Alston was charged with the traffic violation (failure to maintain a lane), Edgar said. 

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DUI

Charles W. Mitchell, 31, of 12th Street in Ewing, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and charged with driving under the influence, DUI in a school zone and reckless driving about 2 a.m. on Saturday, July 2, Edgar said.

He said Officers Michael Smith and Chris DiMeglio were conducting a routine traffic stop at the Brunswick Traffic Circle when Mitchell drove up, got out of his vehicle and asked the officers for directions to the Crystal Diner.

Mitchell “appeared to have trouble standing,” prompting the officers to ask him if he had been drinking and to administer field sobriety tests, Edgar said. He said Mitchell was taken into custody after allegedly performing poorly on those tests.

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Fraud

A Lawrence Township resident contacted police at 9:36 a.m. on Friday, July 1, to report that three fraudulent purchases made at businesses in Maryland – a 7-Eleven convenience store, a RiteAid pharmacy and a gas station – were charged to her debit card, which she still has in her possession. The charges, which were made on June 30, totaled $78, Edgar said. He said Officer Lauren Laux was assigned to investigate the crime.

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Theft

Officer Andres Mejia was sent to the STS Tire and Auto Center in the 2900 block of Brunswick Pike at 11:45 a.m. on Friday, July 1, after management at the business called to report that a customer – a 49-year-old woman from Hopewell – had allegedly driven away without paying after having had an oil change, tire rotation and other work performed on her vehicle, Edgar said, noting that the total bill was $159.40. He said Mejia advised the business manager how to file a theft complaint against the woman.

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Shoplifting

Jamar Deshawn Francis, 18, of Hudson Street, Trenton, was arrested about 3:40 p.m. on Friday, July 1, after he allegedly stole two pairs of earrings, worth a total of $54, from the Macy’s department store at Quaker Bridge Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1), Edgar said.

A store loss prevention official stopped Francis after the teenager allegedly left the store without paying for the jewelry that was concealed in his pants pocket, Edgar said. He said Francis was charged with shoplifting by Sgt. Joseph Lech IV.

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Theft

A 20-year-old employee of Hair Style Secrets, a kiosk at Quaker Bridge Mall, called police at 1:47 p.m. on Saturday, July 2, to report that her wallet had been stolen from her purse, which she had stored behind the kiosk’s counter, Edgar said. He said the wallet contained the woman’s debit card and her driver’s license.

Edgar said the 20-year-old told police she suspected the thief was a woman who came to the kiosk about 1:30 p.m. to inquire about getting a job there and, while standing near the victim’s purse, bent down as if she was scratching her leg. A full description of the suspect was not available. Officer Hector Nieves was assigned the investigation.

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Criminal Mischief

Officer Robert Loveless was sent to the Sleep-E-Hollow motel in the 3000 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) at 5:03 p.m. on Saturday, July 2, after management called to report that Room 41 of the motel had been “trashed” and that about $2,000 in damage had been done, including furniture broken and flipped over, the toilet and TV smashed, and lamps and mirrors shattered, according to Edgar.

After receiving a complaint from another guest about excessive noise coming from Room 41, management had phoned the room the previous night and advised the guest staying there to “keep it down.” That guest checked out in the morning and the damage was discovered when staff went to clean the room, Edgar said. He said Loveless was working to identify the person who had rented the room.

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DUI

William Shad Morris, 41, of Centerville, Va., was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving on Saturday, July 2, according to Edgar.

He said police began searching the area about 5:45 p.m. after receiving a call from a concerned motorist reporting that a black Dodge Avenger was driving in an erratic manner along Brunswick Pike (Route 1). The vehicle was soon located in the parking lot of a business in the 3300 block of the road, with Morris asleep inside, he said.

Officers conducted an investigation and eventually charged Morris with driving under the influence, Edgar said.

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Shoplifting

Pramila Shankar Mangidkar, 63, of the 1800 block of Fox Run Drive in Plainsboro was arrested about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 2, after she allegedly stole two pairs of earrings worth a total of $40 from the Sears department store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. He said she allegedly removed the jewelry from its packaging, concealed the items in her bra, and then left the store without paying. She was charged with shoplifting by Sgt. Joseph Lech IV, he noted.

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Drug Paraphernalia Arrest

Martin Jennings, 21, of Woodlane Road in Lawrence was arrested during the early hours of Sunday, July 3, and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and other offenses, according to Edgar.

He said police responded to Jennings’ home about 6:30 a.m. in reference to a complaint from neighbors about excessive noise. Officers had already been to the home earlier that evening. During that earlier encounter, Jennings was issued a summons for violating the township’s noise ordinance, Edgar said, noting that Jennings appeared to police officers at that time to be intoxicated.

During their second encounter with Jennings, the 21-year-old was “disrespectful, belligerent and loud, and appeared more intoxicated than the first time,” Edgar said. He said Jennings allegedly cursed at officers and made such a scene in front of his home that several of his neighbors looked outside to see what was going on.

After he failed to obey several orders from the officers to calm down, Jennings was told he was under arrest for disorderly conduct, Edgar said. At that point, he said, Jennings tried to run away but was stopped by the officers. During the arrest, he did not cooperate and allegedly refused to present his hands so he could be handcuffed, according to Edgar.

After arresting Jennings on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, officers found a glass pipe – “commonly used to smoke marijuana” – on his person and he was thus charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, Edgar said.     

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Criminal Mischief

At 10:56 a.m. on Sunday, July 3, a 64-year-old resident of Woodfield Lane called police to report that, at about 3:15 a.m. that day, someone threw eggs at his house and broke two window screens, Edgar said, noting that damage was estimated at about $100. Officer James Vardanega was assigned the investigation.

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Theft

A 16-year-old Hamilton Township boy was charged with theft for allegedly stealing a bicycle belonging to a Lawrence Township teenager, Edgar said.

It was 2:41 p.m. on Sunday, July 3, when police received a call from a Johnson Avenue resident reporting that a group of boys had approached her 16-year-old son near their home and that one of the boys had knocked her son off his bicycle and snatched the bike, Edgar said.

He said the mother went out looking for the boys and caught up with them on Millerick Avenue. The mother confronted the group, at which point the boy who had allegedly taken the bicycle dropped the bike and ran, he said.

Police officers searched the area. At about 4 p.m., officers spotted a boy fitting the description of the thief near the corner of Lawrence Road (Route 206) and Gainsboro Road.  The suspect was stopped for questioning and then arrested after he was identified as the alleged perpetrator by the victim and his mother, Edgar said.

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Shoplifting

Scholastica O. Chilaka, 33, of Bordentown and Joy C. Ihuoma, 19, Capitol Heights, Md., were arrested about 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 3, after they allegedly stole a $35 pair of high-heel shoes from the Sears department store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. He said they allegedly concealed the shoes in a baby stroller one of them was pushing and then left the store without paying. They were each charged with shoplifting by Officer Erini Papafilipakis.

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Theft

A 49-year-old resident of Pennington called police at 10:43 a.m. on Monday, July 4, to report that sometime between 4 and 5:30 p.m. on July 3 someone stole her wallet while she was shopping in the T.J. Maxx store at Mercer Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1), Edgar said. He said the stolen wallet contained about $150 in cash, some pre-paid gift cards, and credit cards.

The thief apparently tried to use one of the stolen credit cards at the Macy’s department store at Quaker Bridge Mall but discovered that the victim had already notified her credit card company of the theft and the card was declined. The suspect – a woman who was accompanied by another woman – tried to use the stolen card to buy handbags, Edgar said. He said Officer Chris Schuster is investigating the crime.

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Shoplifting

Officer Richard Laird III is investigating the shoplifting of 10 Yankee candles – worth a total of $250 – from Norman’s Hallmark store in Lawrence Shopping Center in the 2400 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) shortly before 3:45 p.m. on Monday, July 4.

Edgar said the suspect in the crime is a man who was seen leaving the store with items obviously stuffed in the legs of his pants. As the man walked, employees of the store heard the distinctive sounds of glass jars “clinking” against one another, he said. Store employees said the man left in a green car that was driven by a woman, with another woman riding along as a passenger. The man was described as black, 40 to 50 years old, and 5 feet 5 to 8 inches tall, he said.

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Drug Overdose

Just after 4 p.m. on Monday, July 4, police officers responded to the Meadow Woods apartments in the 400 block of Lawrence Road to assist emergency medical service personnel trying to aid a 22-year-old woman who had locked herself in the bathroom of her apartment after taking an overdose of heroin in an apparent attempt to kill herself, Edgar said. He said police officers forced open the bathroom door, allowing EMS crews to reach the woman and administer life-saving medication to her. She was then rushed by ambulance to Capital Health System’s Mercer hospital in Trenton, he said.

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Drug Arrest

Aaron W. Chepiga, 20, of Windwood Road, and Ryan Scott Danyo, 20, of the 1000 block of Brunswick Avenue were each charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams after they were arrested on Monday, July 4, Edgar said.

Edgar said the pair drove into the parking lot of the 7-Eleven convenience store in the 400 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206) about 5:50 p.m. and began “acting suspiciously” as soon as they saw that Officer Robert Loveless happened to be there in his patrol car. When Loveless neared their vehicle, he allegedly smelled an odor of marijuana, Edgar said.

A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a small quantity of marijuana and Chepiga and Danyo were both arrested, he said.

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Theft

Officer Chris Schuster is investigating who caused damaged to and stole items from three school buses belonging to the Lawrence Township public school district. The crime, believed to have taken place sometime between July 1 and July 4, was discovered by a district employee and reported to police at 7:09 a.m. on Tuesday, July 5, Edgar said.

He said two first aid kits and an orange traffic warning triangle were stolen from one bus, a second bus had damage done to its passenger’s side sliding door, and a third bus had its headlights smashed out. The total cost of the stolen items and the damage done to the buses was estimated at about $950, he said.

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Criminal Mischief

A 19-year-old Hamilton Township man called police at 1:02 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5, to report that someone had punctured his tires and put several deep scratches in his 2001 Honda Civic while it was parked outside the Sleep-E-Hollow motel in the 3000 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1), Edgar said. Damage was estimated at $1,000. Officer Chris Stylianou is investigating.

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Burglary

A 48-year-old resident of Sherman Place alerted police at 1:12 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6, that someone had entered her shed and stolen her bicycle, which was valued at $350, Edgar said. He said Officer Chris Stylianou is investigating the crime, which is believed to have happened sometime between 6:30 p.m. on July 5 and 1 p.m. on July 6.

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Theft

Sgt. Joseph Lech IV is investigating the theft of an Olympus digital camera worth $1,000 and a lens worth another $500 from the portrait studio at the Sears store in Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. The theft is believed to have occurred sometime between June 27 and July 1, he said, noting that police were notified of the crime at 2:41 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6.

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Theft

A 48-year-old Ewing Township woman had her wallet stolen while she was inside the Wendy’s restaurant at Quaker Bridge Mall between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6. The woman – who reported the crime to police at 10:26 p.m. – told police that she believes her wallet was removed from her purse while the purse was hang from the back of her chair in the restaurant.

The wallet contained a credit card which was later used to make a $783 purchase from a website, Edgar said. He said the victim believes the wallet was stolen by two women who were sitting behind her in the Wendy’s.

The first suspect was described as black, with a light complexion and medium build, in her early 30s, about 130 pounds, with short hair with blond extensions, and a tattoo on her upper right arm, wearing a gray T-shirt and long pants. The other woman was black, with a dark complexion and dark hair, about 170 pounds, carrying a Forever 21 bag.

Officer Todd Sparks is investigating the crime.

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Criminal Mischief

A 45-year-old resident of Hedge Row Court called police at 8:35 a.m. on Thursday, July 7, to report that at about 9:55 p.m. on July 6 someone exploded fireworks in her mailbox at the curb in front of her house. The mailbox, valued at $600, was destroyed, Edgar said. Officer Chris Schuster is investigating.

Anyone with information about any of the above crimes is asked to call Lawrence Township police at (609) 896-1111.

 A copy of Lawrence Township's police dispatch log for Friday, July 1, through Thursday, July 7, 2011, can be viewed from the PDF box above. This log lists all significant calls for service and incidents for which officers filed a written report. Routine administrative assignments are omitted. Some data has been redacted to protect the identity of crime victims.