Police Blotter: Mechanic's Finger Nearly Amputated

Accidental Injury

A mechanic had one of his fingers nearly amputated in an accident that happened while he was working on a car at the Precision Acura dealership in the 3000 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) in Lawrence Township during the morning of Tuesday, March 27, according to township police spokesman Lt. Charles Edgar.

Edgar said the mechanic, a 32-year-old resident of Feasterville, Pa., was attempting to clear some fluid off the engine of the car – with the engine running at the time – when the cloth he was using became caught up with a moving belt and one of the fingers of his right hand was drawn through a pulley.

The finger was so badly lacerated it was nearly severed, Edgar said. He said the man was rushed by ambulance to the Capital Health System Regional Medical Center in Trenton. He said police were not told if surgeons were able to save the finger.

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Investigation

Township police are investigating an allegation that a Lawrence High School student used his cell phone to take a photo up the skirt of a female teacher during school hours, Edgar said. The alleged crime was reported at 6:43 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27.

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Theft

A 21-year-old Rider University student from Swedesboro, Gloucester County, notified police at 11:07 a.m. on Sunday, March 25, that her MacBook Pro computer – valued at $4,000 – was stolen from her room in the Ziegler residence hall on the Rider campus sometime between 7:40 p.m. on March 24 and 10:30 a.m. on March 25, Edgar said. He said Officer Erini Papafilipakis is investigating.

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Criminal Mischief

At 11:17 a.m. on Monday, March 26, Officer Hector Nieves was assigned to investigate an act of criminal mischief in which someone ripped a playground gate from its hinges at Lawrenceville Elementary School, according to Edgar. The crime, which caused about $100 in damage, was believed to have taken place sometime over the weekend.

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Criminal Mischief

At 11:39 a.m. on Monday, March 26, Officer Mark Harmon was dispatched to Slackwood Elementary School to investigate an act of criminal mischief in which someone over the weekend used a marker a write graffiti on the wooden steps leading into a classroom trailer., Edgar said. He said an aluminum handrail was also ripped away from the steps. 

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Criminal Mischief

Officer Erini Papafilipakis is working to identify the person who used a rock to smash out the passenger’s side window of a box truck belonging to HomeFront. Edgar said the crime at the nonprofit’s office in the 1800 block of Princeton Avenue was reported to police at 1:42 p.m. on Sunday, March 25.

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Hindering

Demario Somoro Spooner, 22, of the 700 block of Chambers Street, Trenton, was arrested about 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 27, and charged with hindering apprehension for allegedly providing police with a false name during a traffic stop along the northbound side of the Trenton Freeway (Route 1) just prior to where the highway merges together with Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1), according to Edgar.

He said the vehicle Spooner was driving was stopped by Sgt. Michael Yeh after Spooner allegedly used the shoulder of the highway to pass other vehicles stopped due to heavy morning traffic.

Spooner told Yeh hid did not have his driver’s license on him., Edgar said. He said Yeh was unable to verify the name that Spooner allegedly offered. He said additional investigation revealed Spooner’s true identity and the fact he was wanted by Trenton police in connection with two outstanding warrants, one of which was worth $2,500.

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 Wednesday, March 21, through Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 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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