Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: DUI Arrest,Thefts, Dog Bite & More

Here's a roundup of notable police activity in Lawrence Township from June 24 through June 30.

Accidental Injury

Officer Chris Schuster and emergency medical personnel responded to the Comfort Inn in the 3200 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) at 1:15 p.m. on Friday, June 24, after a 1-year-old boy had the tip of one of his fingers cut off, according to Lt. Charles Edgar, spokesman for Lawrence Township Police Department.

Edgar said the boy’s finger was in the way when his sister closed the door to the bathroom of the family’s hotel room. The boy, along with his sister and their 42-year-old mother, was rushed by ambulance to University Medical Center at Princeton for treatment of the wound, he said.

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DUI

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Keyana M. Montigue, 20, of the 600 block of Edgewood Avenue, Trenton, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving at about 2:50 a.m. on Saturday, June 25, according to Edgar.

He said Officer Chris DiMeglio allegedly observed the 2009 Nissan Altima being driven by Montigue traveling at a “high rate of speed” along Interstate 95 and exiting onto Route 1. DiMeglio “paced” the Nissan for a short distance and then pulled it over for exceeding the speed limit, he said.

While speaking to Montigue, DiMeglio detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from inside the vehicle and observed, in plain view, a Dunkin’ Donuts cup containing what was later found to be cognac, Edgar said. Montigue was arrested after she allegedly performed poorly on field sobriety tests administered by DiMeglio, he said.

He said Montigue was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, speeding, failure to maintain a lane, failure to exhibit a driver’s license and consuming an alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle.

Montigue’s passenger – identified as Jamal E. Little, 20, of the 500 block of West State Street in Trenton – was taken into custody after he was found to be wanted in connection with an outstanding $2,500 warrant from Trenton.    

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Shoplifting

Alice Kabia, 52, of Astor Court, West Windsor, was arrested about 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, after she allegedly stole $15 worth of socks and hair care products from the ShopRite supermarket at the Mercer Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1), Edgar said.

He said Kabia allegedly concealed the items in her purse and then left the store after paying for two bottles of water. She was detained in the parking lot by a store loss prevention official and was later charged with shoplifting by Officer Chris Stylianou.

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Criminal Mischief

At 3:44 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, township police were notified that someone had cracked a large window – measuring about 84 inches by 40 inches – near the bus port of Quaker Bridge Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1). Damage was estimated at $300, according to Edgar, who said Sgt. Joseph Amodio was assigned the investigation.

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Suspicious Person

Numerous township police officers responded to a home in the 1300 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206) after residents, going to investigate why their dog had started to bark, discovered a stranger lurking in their backyard about 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, June 25.

When the residents asked the man what he was doing on their property, the man said he was “looking for a light” so he could find his bicycle. But the man also allegedly said he was armed with a weapon and would defend himself, which greatly alarmed the homeowner and his family, Edgar said.

However, police soon confirmed that the 40-year-old man did not have a weapon and that he – in a highly intoxicated condition – had fallen off his bicycle after peddling across the front lawns of several nearby homes. The bicycle was found hidden in some shrubbery. Residents of the home declined to press criminal charges against the man and police returned him to his family on Ohio Avenue in Trenton, according to Edgar.

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Criminal Mischief  

Ozzia S. Tift, 35, of Southard Street in Trenton, was charged with criminal mischief after he allegedly damaged the frame of one of the rear doors of Lawrence Township police car No. 904 by kicking at the door while he was riding in the car to the township police station about 12:25 a.m. on Sunday, June 26, Edgar said.

He said officers earlier in the evening had found Tift in an intoxicated condition at the Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge on Brunswick Pike (Route 1) and had taken him into custody after discovering he was wanted in connection with outstanding warrants from Hamilton Township and other municipalities.

Aggravated Assault 

Detective Kevin Reading Jr. was assigned to investigate an incident that allegedly took place on Conrad Court on Sunday, June 26. Edgar said the mother of a 15-year-old boy called police at 10:30 a.m. to report that one of her neighbors – with whom her family had been having an ongoing dispute – had tried to run over her son.

He said the woman alleged that the man purposely drove his vehicle toward her son while the boy was riding his skateboard in the road, causing the teenager to jump off the skateboard to avoid being run over. He said the investigation was continuing.

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Criminal Mischief

At 10 a.m. on Monday, June 27, Officer Mark Harmon was sent to the Ben Franklin Swim Club on Lewisville Road to investigate an act of criminal mischief. Staff at the swim club told police that someone had thrown “numerous” chairs and towels into the pool sometime between 9:40 p.m. on June 26 and 8:30 a.m. on June 27, according to Edgar.

He said a control box for the pool’s vacuum cleaner was also found at the bottom of the pool. The electronic device – valued at $500 – was ruined. Several discarded beer cans were also found on the property, he said.

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Drug Paraphernalia Arrest

Andrew S. McDonald-Lynch, 25, from Chase Hollow Road in Hopewell Township was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia after police allegedly found a glass pipe – “commonly used to smoke marijuana” – on his person at about 11:20 a.m. on Monday, June 27, according to Edgar.

Edgar said police were investigating a call about a “suspicious vehicle” in the Meadow Woods apartment complex in the 400 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206) when they found McDonald-Lynch sitting in a parked car.

McDonald-Lynch told police he was “waiting for his girlfriend,” but the interior of the vehicle allegedly smelled like burnt marijuana and police investigated further, Edgar said. While no drugs were located, he said, the glass pipe was found and McDonald-Lynch was arrested by Officer Richard Laird III.

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Theft  

A resident of Gervin Road called police at 4:05 p.m. on Monday, June 27, to report that a safe had been stolen from his home sometime during the preceding three weeks, Edgar said, noting that the safe contained about $500 in cash and many personal documents. Nothing else appeared to be missing from the home, and no evidence was found that the house had been burglarized, he said.

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Theft

A 39-year-old resident of Slack Avenue called police at 9:06 a.m. on Wednesday, June 29, to report that two tennis rackets and a tennis bag had been stolen from his unlocked vehicle sometime between 8:30 p.m. on June 28 and 8:30 a.m. on June 29. Those items were valued at $375. Also stolen was the man’s wallet, which contained about $70 in cash, credit cards and the man’s driver’s license, Edgar said. He said Officer Mark Harmon was investigating.  

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Fraud

Officer Richard Laird III is working to determine the identity of the person who used credit card account information belonging to a 56-year-old Allwood Drive resident to make a fraudulent $241.80 purchase of computer equipment from Best Buy via the internet, Edgar said. He said the victim, who is still in possession of the credit card, called police at 12:40 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29, to report the crime.

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Dog Bite

Officer Marc Poveromo was sent to Devon Avenue at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29, to investigate an incident in which a 17-year-old girl was bitten on her right hand by a dog belonging to a neighbor, Edgar said. He said the teenager was out with her own dog when the neighbor’s pet – a Cocker Spaniel – got out of its yard and approached her.

The girl was attempting to return the Cocker Spaniel to its owner when she was bitten by the dog, Edgar said, noting that the girl declined medical attention.

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Shoplifting

Ryan J. Bladel, 19, of Chesterfield, was arrested about 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29, after he allegedly stole two T-shirts worth $40 from the J.C. Penney department store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. Bladel was charged with shoplifting by Officer Chris Schuster, he said.

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Theft

At 9:21 a.m. on Thursday, June 30, Officer Michael Whitmore was sent to Mercedes-Benz of Princeton in the 2900 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) to investigate the theft of four tires – valued at a total of $4,000 – from a new Mercedes S550 that had been parked in the auto dealership’s rear lot, Edgar said.

He said the thief apparently gained entry to the lot sometime overnight by breaking through a fence. About $2,500 worth of damage was also done to the vehicle, which the thief had left resting on pieces of wood, he said.

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Shoplifting

Alessandr Dellegrotti, 20, of Bainbridge Court in Hamilton was arrested about 4:35 p.m. on Thursday, June 30, after Dellegrotti was allegedly caught stealing nine articles of clothing and eight pieces of jewelry – worth a total of $192.50 – from the J.C. Penney store at Quaker Bridge Mall.  Dellegrotti was charged with shoplifting by Sgt. Joseph Lech IV.

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Trespassing

Officer Kelly Longo and other officers were sent to Lawrence High School at 5:08 p.m. on Thursday, June 30, after a school custodian spotted two teenagers walking across the roof of the school. The school was searched but the officers were unable to locate the juveniles, Edgar said, noting that no damage was found to the roof.

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Thefts

A resident of Puritan Avenue called police at 5:18 p.m. on Thursday, June 30, to report that three teenagers had just stolen a purple and pink 15-speed mountain bicycle from the driveway of a neighbor. The caller yelled to the three teenagers to drop the bike, but they instead hurried away with it, Edgar said. He said Officer Bryce Dowers and other officers searched the area but could not locate the thieves or the stolen bike, which was valued at about $100.

Later on June 30, about 10:10 p.m., a 50-year-old resident of the 100 block of Slack Avenue called police to report that something between 4:40 and 5:30 p.m. that day, someone stole his Diamondback BMX bike from his backyard, Edgar said. He said the thief had to go behind a fence to steal the bike, which was worth $300.

Because of the proximity of the two locations, Edgar said, Officer Chris Schuster was working with Dowers to determine if the same teenagers from Puritan Avenue were responsible for the theft on Slack Avenue.

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Burglary

At 7:50 p.m. on Thursday, June 30, a 41-year-old resident of Stonicker Drive contacted police to report that sometime between 8:30 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. that day someone entered his open garage and stole a Husky air compressor valued at $400, Edgar said.

He said police were looking to question a possible suspect, a man who had been seen in the neighborhood. That man was described as white, between 30 and 40 with a slim build, about 5 feet 8 to 11 inches tall, with short black hair.

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, June 24, through Thursday, June 30, 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.


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