Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: Man Charged with Drug and Prostitution Crimes After Allegedly Making Up Story About Gunman

Here's a roundup of notable police activity in Lawrence Township from July 8 through July 12.

Drug and Prostitution Arrests

Numerous Lawrence Township police officers raced to the Mount’s Motel in the 2900 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) about 12:40 a.m. on Sunday, July 10, after a 911 call was received in which a guest at the motel claimed that he had just been threatened by a man with a gun. When officers arrived, they met with the 911 caller and soon concluded that the man had made up the story about the gunman, according to Lawrence Township police spokesman Lt. Charles Edgar.

Officers determined that the man – identified as James Anthony Patitucci, 49, of Pine Hill – was “under the influence of narcotics, due to his explanation of the incident and his physical behavior,” Edgar said.

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Patitucci and a woman who was with him – Patricia Lynn Smith, 30, of the 200 block of East Franklin Street in Trenton – were both arrested after an investigation carried out by officers at the scene revealed that Patitucci had allegedly provided heroin and crack cocaine for himself and for Smith in exchange for Smith providing him with sexual favors, Edgar said.

He said Patitucci was charged with drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, and engaging in prostitution, while Smith was charged with possession of a hypodermic needle and engaging in prostitution.

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Motor Vehicle Theft

A Baja Motorsports all terrain vehicle valued at $350 was stolen from outside a home in the 400 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206) shortly before 3:10 p.m. on Sunday, July 10, Edgar said. A neighbor called 911 after seeing a group of four males – between the area of 10 and 15 – leaving the area with the vehicle. The crime is being investigated by Officer Marc Poveromo.

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Theft

Lawrence Township police are investigating the theft of $81,000 worth of assorted jewelry from the home and a vehicle belonging to a Fountayne Lane couple, according to Edgar. The victims reported the crime to police on Friday, July 8.

Edgar declined to release specific details about the theft due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, but he did reveal that police do not believe the house or vehicle was burglarized. He also noted that it does not appear to have been a random crime.

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Criminal Mischief

Officer Chris DiMeglio is investigating an incident of criminal mischief in which someone threw several rocks through a bedroom window at a rental home in the 300 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206) about 2:30 a.m. on Friday, July 8, Edgar said. He said the home’s 21-year-old tenant was sleeping in the room at the time and was not hurt. Damage to the screen and glass was estimated at about $500.   

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Fraud

Officer Richard Laird III is investigating an incident in which a woman attempted to use a fraudulent prescription to obtain 120 Oxycodone pills from the pharmacy at the ShopRite supermarket in Mercer Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) shortly before 2 p.m. on Friday, July 8, Edgar said.

After presenting the fake prescription at the pharmacy, Edgar said, the woman became nervous when the pharmacist began asking questions. The pharmacist called police after confirming that the prescription had been stolen from a doctor’s office in Hamilton, but the woman fled the store empty-handed before officers arrived, he said.

If arrested, the woman will be charged with multiple offenses, including forgery and receiving stolen property, he said.

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Shoplifting

At 2:11 p.m. on Friday, July 8, Officer Shaun Sexton was sent to the Acme supermarket at Lawrence Shopping Center in the 2400 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) after management at the store called police to report that a woman on July 7 had stolen several boxes of Mucinex tablets worth $156 and that the same woman is suspected of previously stealing boxes of the decongestant from Acme on May 19 and May 28, Edgar said. He said the crimes remain under investigation.

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Shoplifting

Aparna Veda, 32, of Ravens Crest Drive, Plainsboro, was arrested about 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 8, after she allegedly stole 11 items of clothing and jewelry – worth a total of $270 – from the Sears department store at Quaker Bridge Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike, Edgar said. While in a fitting room, he said, Veda allegedly concealed the items in her purse and another bag and left the store without paying. She was detained by store loss prevention personnel and later was charged with shoplifting by Sgt. Joseph Lech IV.

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DUI

Peter Kolcun, 35, of the 800 block of Cherry Street in Trenton, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving about 2:10 a.m. on Saturday, July 9, according to Edgar.

Officer Chris DiMeglio was on patrol near the Brunswick Traffic Circle when he allegedly saw Kolcun, who was driving a 2004 GMC Yukon at the time, enter the circle and nearly crash into the curb of the grass-covered center of the circle, Edgar said, noting that Kolcun veered his vehicle at the last moment to avoid wrecking.

DiMeglio initiated a traffic stop and, upon interviewing Kolcun, he smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from within the auto, Edgar said. He said DiMeglio conducted an investigation and eventually took Kolcun into custody and charged him with driving under the influence and other offenses.

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Theft

A 51-year-old resident of Bunker Hill Avenue called police at 9:04 a.m. on Saturday, July 9, to report that sometime between 8:30 p.m. on July 8 and 8:30 a.m. on July 9 someone stole the front license plate off his Pontiac Grand Prix, Edgar said. He said Officer Robert Loveless was assigned the investigation.

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Shoplifting

Officer Andres Mejia is investigating who stole 27 bottles of perfume – worth a total of $1,400 – from the Victoria’s Secret store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. He said the theft – which was reported to police at 1:01 p.m. on Saturday, July 9 – is believed to have taken place sometime between noon on July 8 and noon on July 9.

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Shoplifting

Sina R. Soroush, 71, of MacLean Street, Princeton Borough, was arrested about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, after he allegedly stole four watches – worth about $1,100 – from the Lord & Taylor department store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. Soroush allegedly walked out of the store with the stolen watch hidden in his pants pockets, he said. After being detained by store loss prevention personnel, Soroush was charged with shoplifting by Sgt. Joseph Lech IV.

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Theft

Two bicycles – one worth $179 and the other valued at $300 – were stolen from the rear porch of a home in the 100 block of Slack Avenue sometime between 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, and 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 10, Edgar said. He said Officer Robert Loveless is investigating the crime.

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Theft

Officer Richard Laird III is conducting a “theft of services” investigation in an effort to identify who illegally dumped a large quantity of cardboard into a trash receptacle belonging to the Franklin Corner Tavern in the 100 block of Franklin Corner Road. The owner of the bar called police at 1:13 p.m. on Monday, July 11, to report that someone driving a white or silver pickup truck had filled the trash bin with cardboard boxes, according to Edgar.

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Shoplifting

Officer Kelly Longo is working to identify a man who stole several bottles of Centrum Silver vitamins – worth about $165 – from the CVS Pharmacy in the 1900 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) about 4 p.m. on Monday, July 11, Edgar said. The man – who allegedly concealed the bottles in his pants – fled the area in a white pickup truck after the store’s shoplifting alarm sounded as he walked out of the store. Edgar said the man was described as Hispanic, 23 to 30 years old, with a thin build, wearing a blue tank top, blue jeans and tan boots.

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Shoplifting

A 15-year-old girl from Trenton was arrested shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, after she allegedly stole a pair of slippers and two “Hello Kitty” T-shirts – worth a total of about $56 – from the Sears department store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. He said the girl allegedly left the store with the stolen merchandise concealed in her shoulder bag. She was detained by store loss prevention personnel and later charged with shoplifting by Officer Robert Wagner.

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Fraud

A 56-year-old resident of Edith Drive called police at 3:05 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, to report that she had just learned that someone had fraudulently opened three credit cards in her name with CitiBank, Capital One and Discover, and that one of the cards had been used to make a $109 purchase, Edgar said. He said two other attempts were made to purchases items with the cards but both times the transactions were denied. Officer Marc Poveromo is investigating.

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Theft

A resident of Fountayne Lane called police at 5:10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, to report the theft of a piece of mail that had been sent in his name to the U.S. Post Office on Craven Lane. When the man went to the post office to collect the package – containing a $200 automotive part – he was informed by postal staff that someone pretending to be him had already signed for and collected the package, according to Edgar. He said Officer Michael Whitmore is investigating.

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Shoplifting

Jonathan Bradley, 18, of Meadow Run Road in Bordentown Township was arrested about 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, after he allegedly stole a $26 pair of sunglasses from the J.C. Penney department store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. He said Bradley allegedly removed the sales tag from the glasses, put the glasses in his pocket and left the store without paying. Bradley was stopped by store loss prevention personnel and later was charged with shoplifting by Officer Kelly Longo.

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Burglary

Officer Marc Caponi is investigating who broke into the clubhouse of the Avalon Run East apartment complex and pulled a fire alarm in the women’s restroom about 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, Edgar said. The break-in to the building on Avalon Way was discovered by police officers and firefighters who responded to the fire alarm. Nothing appeared to be stolen and the only damage found was to the fire alarm pull box, according to Edgar.

 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 8, through Tuesday, July 12, 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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