Police Blotter: Lawrence Township Cops Make Arrests for Alleged Drug Possession, DUI, Shoplifting & More

In addition to the Feb. 22 armed robbery at Marco's Jewelry store and the , Lawrence Township police have been busy handling other incidents, some of which are listed below:

Drug Possession

Mahmet Nuri Acikcan, 38, was arrested at his home on Gervin Road and charged with marijuana possession on Tuesday, Feb. 22, according to Lt. Charles Edgar, a Lawrence Township police spokesman.

Police officers went to Acikcan’s residence about 12:20 p.m. in response to a complaint about a domestic disturbance that was allegedly taking place there, Edgar said.

“Upon meeting with the accused, officers could smell a strong odor of burnt marijuana and subsequently observed a bag containing a green leafy substance in plain view in the house. He was taken into custody for possession of marijuana,” Edgar said.

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DUI

Zafar Jaferi, a 23, of Todd Ridge Road, Hopewell Township, was arrested on a driving under the influence charge about 1:45 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 25, Edgar said.

Officer Andres Mejia spotted Jaferi’s vehicle, with its driver’s side rear window smashed out, in the parking lot near the South Gate of Rider University in the 2000 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206). Going to investigate, Mejia allegedly found Jaferi sitting in the vehicle in an intoxicated state, according to Edgar.

Jaferi, who is a Rider student, was taken into custody and charged with DUI, Edgar said, adding that police are still investigating how the window of Jaferi’s vehicle was broken.

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Hindering Apprehension

Sent to investigate a complaint that a group of young men were acting inappropriately inside Quaker Bridge Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1), police officers ended up arresting Mike Masio Harris, 22, of Dorset Drive, Ewing, about 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23, after he allegedly lied to the officers about his true identity, Edgar said.

Officers finally learned Harris’ true name and discovered he was wanted in connection with a $232 warrant from Trenton, Edgar said. He said Harris was arrested in connection with that warrant and also charged with hindering apprehension for allegedly giving fake names to the officers.

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Theft

Edgar said the following recent thefts that are currently being investigated by township police:

• A 35-year-old woman from Trenton called police at 1:37 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22, to report that on Sunday, Feb. 20, someone stole her purse from a shopping cart at the T.J. Maxx store at Mercer Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1). The purse was filled with a small amount of cash and some credit cards. The woman immediately cancelled her credit cards but did not contact police until she learned that someone had tried – unsuccessfully – to use the stolen credit cards after she deactivated them.
• At 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22, a 29-year-old resident of Trumbull Avenue called police to report that someone had stolen a $400 GPS unit from her 1995 Nissan, which she had left unlocked and parked in the driveway of her home.
• A laptop computer and various accessories – worth a total of $4,200 – were stolen from the Stony Brook Sew & Vacuum store at Mercer Mall. The crime was reported to police at 9:36 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23, but is believed to have taken place on Feb. 13. The alleged thief was described as a Hispanic male, 35 to 40 years old, with a medium build and short black hair, who was wearing blue jeans and a gray sweater.
• At 1:58 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23, police were notified that copper grounding bars and cables worth a total of about $3,000 had been stolen from a Metro PCS facility in the 2700 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1). It was unknown when the theft actually took place.

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Shoplifting

Edgar said the following people were recently charged with shoplifting:

• A 16-year-old boy from Lawrence was arrested about 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23, for allegedly stealing a $40 jacket from the Macy’s department store at Quaker Bridge Mall. The boy allegedly hid the jacket in a bag while he was in a changing room, then exited the store without paying. He was followed and stopped by store security guards.
• Conisha Clark, 38, of Power Street, Trenton, was arrested about 2:10 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24, after she allegedly stole $160 worth of jewelry from the Lord & Taylor department store at Quaker Bridge Mall. Clark allegedly put the jewelry in a shopping bag and walked out of the store without paying. She too was followed by store security guards and stopped.

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 Tuesday, Feb. 22, through Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011, can be downloaded 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.