Police Blotter: Dog Attack, Counterfeiting, Thefts & More

Dog Attack

A Yorkshire terrier was fatally injured when it was attacked by two Great Danes during the morning of Thursday, April 21, according to Lt. Charles Edgar, a Lawrence Township Police Department spokesman.

Edgar said it was 11:43 a.m. when a 26-year-old resident of Indiana Avenue called police to report that while she was walking her Yorkie, two large dogs ran up from a residence in the 1500 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) and attacked. He said the woman was bitten on her left index finger while she was trying to free her small pet from the jaw of one of the Great Danes.

The woman rushed her pet to a local animal hospital, where the Yorkie succumbed to its injuries, Edgar said. He said the Great Danes – owned by 66-year-old Joseph Nowacki – were both properly licensed with the township and up-to-date with their rabies shots.

The incident was referred to township Animal Control Officer Christine Buck for follow-up investigation, Edgar said.

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Theft

Ana Rocio Cajas, 19, of the 2400 block of Princeton Pike in Lawrence, has been charged with theft for allegedly stealing $3,100 worth of jewelry from the home of her boyfriend, Edgar said. He said a 42-year-old resident of Cherry Tree Lane called township police at 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, to report that jewelry was missing from his house. Officer Chris Stylianou and Detective Robert Potter investigated and, according to Edgar, gathered enough evidence to charge the man’s son’s girlfriend – Cajas – with the crime. He said the investigation is continuing and efforts are underway to recover the stolen jewelry.

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Counterfeiting

Police are working to identify a man who passed three counterfeit $100 bills at the J.C. Penney department store at Quaker Bridge Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1). Edgar said the man made three separate transactions at different sales desks inside the store. Each time the man handed over a fake $100 as payment for a low-priced object, such as a T-shirt and a candy bar, and was given real currency as change. Edgar said the man was described as Hispanic, with a medium build, 25 to 35 years old, 5 feet 7 to 10 inches tall, and 160 to 180 pounds. The store reported the crime at 6:10 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20. Sgt. Chris Longo is investigating.   

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DUI

A Lawrence Township man, Michael J. Mancuso, 54, of Allegheny Avenue, was charged with driving under the influence and related charges after he allegedly pulled his vehicle out of the driveway of a business on Franklin Corner Road and cut off the police car being driven by Officer Andres Mejia about 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, according to Edgar.

Edgar said traffic exiting a driveway or parking lot legally must yield to traffic already traveling in the road. Mejia initiated a traffic stop and, while questioning him, allegedly detected an “odor of alcoholic beverage” on Mancuso’s breath, Edgar said.

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Robbery

Rikkia Allston, 24, of Philadelphia was arrested and charged by Sgt. Chris Longo with robbery after she allegedly bit a loss prevention official who was trying to detain her after she and another woman allegedly shoplifted from the Lord & Taylor department store at Quaker Bridge Mall, according to Edgar.

Allston and Niedah Bey, 22, also of Philadelphia, allegedly selected numerous jeans and went into a fitting room. When they entered the room, they each had a large purse that, loss prevention officials told police, looked empty, Edgar said. But when the women exited the room, store officials claimed, their purses appeared to be filled and bulging. Allston and Bey were seen each discarding one pair of jeans. They then exited the store without paying for any merchandise, Edgar said.

After loss prevention officials confirmed that the fitting room was empty of the other jeans the women had been seen carrying into the room, they followed the pair and detained them, allegedly finding them in possession of eight stolen jeans worth a total of $1,194, Edgar said. Allston allegedly tried to walk away but was stopped by one of the store guard. At that point, she allegedly bit the man causing a “minor break in the skin,” Edgar said. He said Allston was charged with robbery and Bey with shoplifting.

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Traffic Accident

Traffic along Lawrence Road (Route 206) was slowed for much of the day on Thursday, April 21, so that utility crews from PSE&G could replace a utility pole that was badly damaged when it was hit by a vehicle, Edgar said.

He said the accident occurred a little before 10:15 that morning when the car being driven southbound along Lawrence Road by Andrew Albert, 20, of Crescent Avenue, Rocky Hill, veered across the opposite lane of travel and then slammed into the utility pole at the corner of Oaklyn Terrance. The impact shattered pole at its base.

Albert told police he believed he fell asleep while driving, Edgar said, noting that Albert refused medical attention. He said Albert was charged with careless driving by Officer Shawn Carroll.

PSE&G crews worked into the night to install a new utility pole next to the shattered pole.

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Theft

Officer Erini Papafilipakis was sent to the T.J. Maxx store at Mercer Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) at 1:09 p.m. on Monday, April 18, to take a report involving the theft of $112 from one of the store’s cash registers. An employee was suspected of taking the money and store management was in the process of signing a complaint for theft against the employee, according to Edgar.

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Criminal Mischief

At 3:59 p.m. on Monday, April 18, police were notified by management at Hibbert’s Automotive Sales in the 1100 block of Spruce Street that someone had smashed out one of the windows of a 1997 Ford F-150 pickup truck. Officer Chris Stylianou was sent to investigate.

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Theft by Deception

Patrice Van Havere, 50, of the 1900 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) was arrested about 12:40 a.m. on Tuesday, April 19, and charged with theft by deception, Edgar said. He said she allegedly went door-to-door along Slack Avenue and asked residents for money, telling them several different stories. One of those lies, he said, was that she needed cash because her car had run out of gas and she was stranded. One goodhearted resident gave her $30. Van Havere was arrested by Officer Andrew Lee, who responded to Slack Avenue after police received reports of a suspicious woman knocking on doors.

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Vehicle Theft  

Officer John Glenn is investigating who stole a 1990 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck from the 200 block of Drift Avenue something between 5 p. m. on Monday, April 18, and 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 19, according to Edgar. He said the 75-year-old owner – who reported the theft at 8:15 a.m. on April 19 – told police he still had the keys. The pickup, valued at about $8,000, was found abandoned in Trenton several days later.

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Criminal Mischief

A 47-year-old man called police at 8:58 a.m. on Tuesday, April 19, to report that someone had “keyed” his 1994 Chevrolet Tracker sometime overnight while it was parked in the 100 block of Johnson Avenue. The scratches were to the rear driver’s side quarter panel of the vehicle and damage was estimated to be under $500, according to Edgar. Officer Andres Mejia is investigating.

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Theft

A citizens band (CB) radio worth $150 and a GPS unit worth $100 were stolen from a 2003 Mack tractor sometime while it was parked at Hub Leasing in the 2800 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1), Edgar said. He said the vehicle’s owner, a 30-year-old resident of Trenton, had left the vehicle parked there for several days. The man discovered the break-in and notified police at 10:44 a.m. on Tuesday, April 19. Officer Hector Nieves is investigating.   

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Shoplifting

Anthony Morris, 37, of South Olden Avenue, Trenton, was arrested shortly before 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, and charged by Officer Andres Mejia with shoplifting for allegedly stealing $66 worth of Centrum vitamins from CVS Pharmacy in the 1900 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1), at Cherry Tree Lane, according to Edgar. He said store management confronted Morris after he was allegedly seen taking and concealing the pills. Morris allegedly ran from the store, but police searched the area and located him a few minutes later walking along Brunswick Pike. He was taken into custody on the shoplifting charge and later sent to the Mercer County Correction Center in Hopewell Township after police learned that he was wanted in connection with $6,384 worth of warrants out of Hamilton and Trenton, according to Edgar.

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Criminal Mischief 

An 82-year-old resident of Smithfield Avenue called police at 8:38 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, to report that one of his kitchen windows had been shattered by a rock that he found on floor about 15 feet into the room, Edgar said, Damage was estimated at $250. Officer Chris Stylianou is investigating.

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Criminal Mischief

About 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, Detective Kevin Reading Jr. discovered that someone had spray-painted graffiti on the side of an abandoned building in the 4100 block of Quakerbridge Road, Edgar said, noting that some of the graffiti was possibly gang-related. Reading and Officer Daniel Gladney are investigating.

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Shoplifting

A 17-year-old boy from Trenton was arrested about 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, and charged with shoplifting for allegedly stealing a $30 pair of sunglasses from the J.C. Penney store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. He said the teen allegedly selected the glasses from a display, tore off the price tag and walked out of the store with the glasses in his hand. The boy was followed by a store loss prevention officer and detained until Sgt. Chris Longo arrived.    

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Theft of Services

Officer Andres Mejia was sent to the Dick Greenfield Dodge auto dealership in the 2700 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) at 5:33 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, to take a report about an alleged theft of services involving a 33-year-old man from Croydon, Pa., who had had $5,800 worth of work done to his vehicle, Edgar said. Management of the dealership alleged the man refused to pay for the work and then used a flatbed tow truck to take back his vehicle from the dealership’s lot, Edgar said. He said the dealership was in the process of signing a complaint against the man.

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Fraud   

Detective Joseph Lech IV is investigating a case of fraud in which someone cashed three fraudulent payroll checks drawn on the bank account of Agape Children’s Academy on Princeton Pike between April 8 and April 20, Edgar said. The three checks, worth a total of $4,724, were cashed at an out-of-town check chasing agency, he said. Attempts were also made to cash two other fake payroll checks worth a total of $1,890 but were not successful, he said. The crime was reported about 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20.

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Fraud

A 47-year-old resident of Sea Place, off Eagles Chase Drive, called police at 3:06 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, to report that someone had tried unsuccessfully to scam him. The man told police he works as a “secret shopper” – someone who is hired by companies to pretend to be a customer to evaluate the service provided by employees. The man received a job offer via email from someone claiming to represent a company for which the man had done prior work. As part of the offer, the man was sent a money order for $2,750 with instructions to cash the money order, keep $200 for himself as his fee, and then go to a local Western Union location and wire the remaining money to a location in the Philippines. It was all ostensibly to check the level of customer service at the Western Union office, but the 47-year-old grew suspicious and before cashing the money order – which proved to be fake – he contacted the company the email sender claimed to represent. That company, Edgar said, confirmed it was a fraudulent email and the man, in turn, contacted police. Officer Daniel Gladney is investigating.       

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Theft

A bartender at the Lawrence Grill restaurant inside Quaker Bridge Mall called police at 9:44 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, to report that someone had removed $96 in cash from her wallet. The 21-year-old woman, a Lawrence Township resident, told police her wallet was behind the bar and the cash must have been taken while she wasn’t looking, Edgar said. He said the woman reported there were three men sitting at the bar who were acting suspiciously and moving around between the bar and the restaurant kitchen districting the bar and wait staff. Officer Erini Papafilipakis is investigating.

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Simple Assault

Township police, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the state Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) are investigating an incident in which two wards of the state – a 15-year-old girl from Elizabeth and a 17-year-old girl from Roselle – allegedly got into an argument and fight while traveling in a DYFS van through Lawrence Township about 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 22, Edgar said. During the fight, the 15-year-old’s arm became stuck in one of the van’s power windows. The driver, a male DYFS worker, stopped the vehicle in the 2200 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206) near the Lawrence Township police station. The 15-year-old managed to free herself from the window and, spotting police vehicles nearby, she jumped out of the van and ran to the police station, where she reported that she had allegedly been assaulted. Edgar said the incident remains under investigation.  

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Criminal Mischief

The 72-year-old proprietor of the A’Salon hair salon called police at 7:09 a.m. on Saturday, April 23, to report that someone had poured glue in the locks of the doors and, as a result, he could not get into the building in the 2600 block of Main Street (Route 206 or Lawrence Road), Edgar said. He said the building’s owner called a locksmith to remedy the problem. Officer Thomas Chianese is working to determine who put the glue in the locks.

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Theft

A pair of sunglasses worth $5 and a GPS unit valued at $185 were stolen from a 2002 Honda while it was parked on Catbird Court. The owner, a 52-year-old woman, reported the theft at 7:49 a.m. on Saturday, April 23, after she unlocked the vehicle and found the inside “in disarray,” Edgar said. While she had locked the vehicle, she had left the sunroof open, he said. Officer Chris Schuster is investigating.  

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Theft

A 63-year-old Lawrence Township man at 7:22 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, reported to police that his wallet had been stolen from a shopping cart at the ShopRite supermarket at Mercer Mall, Edgar said, noting that credit cards and personnel items were in the wallet. Officer James Vardanega is investigating.

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Shoplifting

Yasmin Grubbs, 27, of the 400 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard in Trenton and Avery Winters, 33, of the 400 block of West State Street in Trenton were arrested about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, and charged by Officer Erini Papafilipakis with shoplifting after they were stopped after they allegedly exited the Macy’s department store at Quaker Bridge Mall with $322 worth of stolen clothes concealed in bags they were carrying, Edgar said.

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Theft

A total of $560 worth of property – a cell phone, a GPS unit, assorted compact discs and a jacket – were stolen by someone who used a rock to smash out the driver’s side window of a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder that was parked in the lot of the New Jersey Lottery Commission in the 1300 block of Brunswick Avenue near the Brunswick Traffic Circle, Edgar said. The vehicle’s owner, a 49-year-old Mount Holly resident, reported the crime at 5:55 a.m. on Monday, April 25. Officer Joseph Radlinsky was assigned to investigate.

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Shoplifting

A 17-year-old girl from Trenton was arrested at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 25, and charged by Officer Thomas Chianese with shoplifting after she allegedly concealed a $15 necklace in her jacket pocket and walked out of the J.C. Penney store at Quaker Bridge Mall without paying, according to Edgar.

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Shoplifting

Officer Hector Nieves arrested a 16-year-old girl from Hamilton Township and charged her with shoplifting around 5:20 p.m. on Monday, April 25, after the girl allegedly removed the tag from an $8 bracelet, concealed the piece of jewelry down the front of her shirt, and left the J.C. Penney store at Quaker Bridge Mall without paying, Edgar said.

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Investigation

At 8:48 p.m. on Monday, April 25, township police received a call from a concerned citizen who reported that there was a very intoxicated man with a young boy near the bus port at the rear of Quaker Bridge Mall. Edgar said officers responded and found the 36-year-old man in a highly intoxicated condition accompanied by his 10-year-old son. The man was barely able to stand and was only “semi-coherent,” he said. Aided by the boy, police contacted the man’s wife, who came out and took charge of the boy. Police, meanwhile, arrested the man on a child of child neglect, Edgar said, noting that the man’s name is being withheld to protect the identity of the boy. He said the incident remains under investigation by police and the state Division of Youth and Family Services.

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Arrest

Township police officers responded to the area of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) near Lake Drive after receiving a call at 2:47 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26, that two shopping carts and a large garbage can had been placed in the middle of the southbound lanes of the road, possibly by a group of four juveniles spotted leaving the area, Edgar said. Officers removed the hazards from the roadway and searched the area. They soon located the group of juveniles and, after investigating, arrested a 15-year-old boy from Trenton on a charge of “interfering with transportation,” Edgar said. The other juveniles were not arrested, he said.

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Criminal Mischief

Officer Chris Stylianou is investigating who slashed the front and rear passenger’s side tires of a 2005 Pontiac that was parking on Berwyn Place, Edgar said, noting that damage was estimated at $450. The crime is believed to have taken place between 8:45 p.m. on April 25 and about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26, when the owner discovered it and called police.

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Drug Investigation

Police are investigating how a plastic bag containing a very small amount of marijuana residue came to be found in a cell at the township police station, Edgar said. The discovery was made about 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26. He said police are reviewing footage from the cell block’s video cameras in an effort to determine the source.

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Shoplifting

Kurt Scholz Jr., 19, of Palmer Road in the Kendall Park section of South Brunswick was arrested about 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26, and charged by Sgt. Chris Longo with shoplifting after he allegedly walked out of the J.C. Penney store at Quaker Bridge Mall with a stolen $12 ring concealed in his fist, according to Edgar.

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Theft

During the early hours of Wednesday, April 27, police officers responded to the Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge in the 2900 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) after a 19-year-old woman who lives the 2400 block of Princeton Pike in Lawrence called 911 at 3:07 a.m. to report that $160 had been stolen from her purse, Edgar said. He said the woman was attending a party in one of the motel’s rooms and that numerous juveniles and young adults had been present at the time. Officer Michael Smith was assigned to investigate.    

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Shoplifting

Tyron S. Hinton, 31, of the 100 block of Cuyler Avenue in Trenton was arrested at 5:59 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, and charged by Sgt. Chris Longo with shoplifting after he alleged stole two pairs of earrings – worth a total of $86 – and walked out of the Lord & Taylor store at Quaker Bridge Mall without paying, Edgar said. He said Hinton was also found to be wanted in connection with a $2,500 warrant out of Trenton and a $1,500 warrant from Hamilton Township.

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Theft

Officer Joseph Radlinsky is investigating who stole an Armani coat valued at $180 from the women’s locker room at Gold’s Gym in the 4100 block of Quakerbridge Road when the coat’s owner, a 32-year-old woman from Hamilton, was working out, Edgar said. He said the woman discovered the theft after completing her exercise routine and called police at 10:54 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27.

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 Monday, April 18, through Wednesday, April 27, 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.