Police Blotter: Multiple Drug and DUI Arrests Made

Drug Possession

Three people were arrested on various drug charges after police responded to a disturbance near Palm Court in the Avalon Run East apartment complex off Quakerbridge Road about 9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14, according to Lt. Charles Edgar, a spokesman for the Lawrence Township Police Department.

Edgar said Christopher Anthony MacLeod, 20, of East Run Drive in the neighboring Avalon Run apartment complex was charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; William J. Lenhardt, 22, of Corral Drive, Hamilton Township, was charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams; and Annette Swartz, 19, of Wilson Avenue, Hamilton Township, was charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police alleged that the three got into a some kind of dispute over drugs and, during the argument, one of the windows of Swartz’s car was shattered, according to Edgar. He said the investigation was continuing.   

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Structure Fire

A fire that was caused by a problem with a fireplace damaged a residence in the 3300 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206) and left a family of four temporarily homeless during the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 13, Edgar said.

He said the blaze was reported at 1:07 a.m. and thick smoke was billowing from the home when the police officers arrived. Volunteer firefighters from the township’s three fire companies – Lawrenceville, Lawrence Road and Slackwood – and the Pennington Road Fire Co. of Ewing Township responded and managed to bring the fire under control by 1:42 a.m.

While most of the fire damage was contained to the walls around the fireplace, other parts of the house sustained smoke damage, Edgar said. He identified the displaced residents as a 66-year-old man and three women ages 54, 40 and 23.

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Driving Under the Influence

Dariusz B. Krzak, 26, of the 200 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206), Lawrence Township, was arrested about 1:10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12, on suspicion of drunk driving, Edgar said.

Edgar said Krzak was charged with driving under the influence, DUI in a school zone, reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle while having a license suspended for a previous drunk driving conviction, having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, refusing to submit to a breath test, operating a motor vehicle without an ignition interlock device, and failing to wear a seat belt.

Officers, having received a complaint from a concerned citizen about an “erratic driver” in the area of the Brunswick Traffic Circle, were searching the area when they spotted Krzak driving near Brunswick Pike and Whitehead Road with no seat belt on, Edgar said. He officers stopped the vehicle and allegedly detected a “strong odor of alcoholic beverage” coming from Krzak.

Krzak, who police learned was also wanted in connection with an outstanding warrant from Egg Harbor, was taken into custody after he performed poorly on field sobriety tests.

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Driving Under the Influence

Ollie N. Toles, 57, of Laurel Avenue, Trenton, was arrested about 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, on suspicion of drunk driving and was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, failure to observe a traffic control signal, failure to maintain a lane, and having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, according to Edgar.

He said the 1993 Chevrolet being driven north on Brunswick Pike (Route 1) by Toles was stopped just south of Bakers Basin Road after a police officer allegedly saw the vehicle drifting in and out of its lane of travel and also go through a red traffic signal at the intersection of Brunswick Pike and Darrah Lane East.

Toles, who allegedly smelled of alcohol while being interviewed by police, was taken into custody after performed poorly on field sobriety tests, according to Edgar. 

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Drug Possession

Paul Bethea, 29, of North Clinton Avenue, Trenton, was arrested about 2:45 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, and charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, according to Edgar.

Edgar said police responded to an address on Freedom Court in response to a complaint about a “suspicious” individual banging on a door there. When they arrived, he said, officers located Bethea, who allegedly told them he needed a place to sleep for the night and was trying to locate a friend who lives in the development.

A check of Bethea’s identity revealed that he was wanted in connection with outstanding warrants from Trenton and Hamilton, Edgar said. After Bethea was arrested on those warrants, he said, officers discovered he was in possession of a small amount of marijuana.

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Driving Under the Influence

Jocelyn R. Blackwell, 56, of Hazelhurst Avenue, Ewing, was arrested about 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, on suspicion of drunk driving and charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving and operating an auto without insurance, Edgar said.

He said police were summoned after the 1995 Chevrolet Corsica being driven by Blackwell struck a Chrysler Town and County minivan parked in the Eggerts Crossing Village in the 100 block of Johnson Avenue. He said Blackwell was taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries and was later arrested.

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Aggravated Assault

Michael Thomas Nicholson II, a 23-year-old Rider University student from Rochester, N.Y., was arrested about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, and charged with aggravated assault on a township police officer who had been trying to help him, Edgar said.

He said police responded to the 7-Eleven convenience store in the 400 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206) after the store clerk called to report that a physical altercation had taken place between Nicholson and other store patrons following a dispute over gummy bear candies.

When officers arrived, Edgar said, they allegedly found Nicholson in an intoxicated condition. The other combatants in the fight had already left, he said.

Edgar said while officers were interviewing Nicholson, he allegedly became uncooperative and poked one of the officers in the chest. Such an act is automatically considered an act of aggravated assault because the victim was a police officer and Nicholson was taken into custody, he said.    

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Drug Possession

Three Rider University students were arrested about 8:10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, and charged with possession of marijuana after they were allegedly caught smoking a marijuana cigarette on the Green Acres Country Club golf course, located on the opposite side of Lawrence Road (Route 206) from the Rider campus, Edgar said.

He said Sgt. Tim Drew spotted one of the students walking onto the golf course and went to investigate. He identified the three suspects as Brandon Hagerty, 18, of Sicklerville, N.J.; Matthew Karasiewicz, 18, of Woodbridge, N.J.; and Anthony P. Amoroso, 18, of Erial, N.J.

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Theft

At 4:13 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6, township police received a call from a 61-year-old Trenton man who reported that his wallet – containing $250 in cash and his driver’s license – had been stolen from his motel room at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in the 2900 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1), Edgar said.

Edgar said the man told police he believed his wallet was taken by a female acquaintance – whose name he did not know – some time after he fell asleep The man described the woman as being between 28 and 32 years old.

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Theft

At 11:27 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15, police were notified that an iPhone valued at $400 had been stolen from an unsecured locker in a boy’s locker room at Lawrence High School sometime earlier in the day, according to Edgar.

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Criminal Mischief

A 63-year-old woman from Hampton, N.J., called police at 2:02 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6, to report that she had just found that someone had scratched an expletive into the hood of her 2008 Honda CRV while in was parked in the lot of the Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge on Brunswick Pike, Edgar said. An estimate of the cost of the damage was not available.

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 Thursday, Nov. 3, through Tuesday, Nov. 15, 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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