Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: Robbery Remains Under Investigation, Arrest Made After Counterfeit Bills Used, Car Stolen...

Here's a roundup of notable police activity in Lawrence Township from Dec. 7 through Dec. 13.

Armed Robbery

The circumstances surrounding early Saturday, Dec. 10, remain under investigation, according to Lawrence Township Police Lt. Mary Ubry.

The victim went to Lawrence Township police headquarters about 9:30 a.m. Saturday to report the crime, which he told police took place between 12:30 and 1 a.m. Saturday after he parked his car on Merritt Drive, Ubry said.

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The victim said he was robbed of his wallet and cell phone by a white male, in his mid-20s, 5 feet 9 to 10 inches tall, with a thin build, wearing jeans and a gray sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head, and a black or blue bandana covering his face.

He said Detective James Smith is investigating the crime and working with Ewing Township police to determine if it was committed by the same knife-wielding white male who, an hour earlier in Ewing, robbed two other Rider University students of their cell phones and wallets.

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That holdup took place about 11:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, in the area of Susan Drive and Bakun Way as the two victims, both male Rider students, were trying to find a college party.

“The victims reported that after they were unable to locate the party, they began walking back to their vehicle at which point the actor approached them with a knife in his hand and demanded their wallets, cash and cell phones,” according to a Ewing Township police news release.

The two students, not knowing where the Ewing police station was located, actually went to Lawrence police headquarters about 1:05 a.m. Saturday to report the crime, Ubry said.

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Counterfeiting

Walter Porter, 34, of Conyers, Ga., was arrested by Officer Iwona Smith on forgery and theft by deception charges about 8 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, after Porter allegedly tried to use five counterfeit $100 bills to make a purchase at the Bed, Bath and Beyond store at Quaker Bridge Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1), Ubry said.

Detective James Smith, assisted by the United States Secret Service, is continuing to investigate the crime, he said.

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Vehicle Theft

A Hamilton Township resident called Lawrence Township police at 10:34 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9, to report that his 1999 Acura Integra had been stolen from Lot J of Quaker Bridge Mall sometime between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. while he was shopping in the mall, Ubry said.

He said Hamilton Township police found the car abandoned in the area of Lamberton Road and Route 29 on Monday afternoon, Dec. 12. The car had significant front-end damage and a rear window broken out, he said.

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Driving Under the Influence

Kevin Burke, 43, of Hamilton Township was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving about 1:35 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, and charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, driving in the wrong direction and having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle, Ubry said.

Ubry said the vehicle Burke was driving was stopped by Officer Chris DiMeglio in the 1800 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) after DiMeglio allegedly spotted the vehicle traveling north in the southbound lanes before it entered the northbound side of the road by driving over the road’s low concrete median.

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Electrical Fire

An electrical problem with a lighting fixture generated an odor of smoke that forced police and firefighters to evacuate the DSW Shoe Warehouse in Mercer Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) for about 45 minutes on Sunday, Dec. 11, Ubry said.

Volunteer firefighters from Lawrenceville, Slackwood and Lawrence Road fire companies were alerted just before 2:30 p.m. Firefighters quickly located the source of the smoke smell and, after shutting off power to the faulty light, confirmed that there was no fire in the ceiling surrounding the fixture.

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Driving Under the Influence

Jamar Harrell, 22, of Trenton, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11, after Officer Erini Papafilipakis allegedly spotted Harrell operating a vehicle without its headlights on and also make an improper lane change along Brunswick Pike (Route 1) in the area of Interstate 295, Ubry said.

He said Harrell was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, operating a vehicle with a suspended license, operating a vehicle without a valid registration, failing to show proof of insurance, making an unsafe lane change, operating a vehicle without headlights and operating a vehicle with an obstructed view.      

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Driving Under the Influence

Scott Warren, 32, of Waterford, Mich., was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving about 2 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13, and charged with four offenses after the vehicle he was operating was stopped for allegedly failing to stay in its lane of travel by Officer Hector Nieves on Brunswick Pike (Route 1) near the Mercer Mall, Ubry said.

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Theft

At 4:04 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, police were notified that copper and aluminum components had been stolen from an industrial-sized air conditioning unit at the Sikh Sabha of New Jersey religious center in the 200 block of Bakers Basin Road, Ubry said.

He said the unit was located on the exterior of the building in a secluded corner and the theft is believed to have taken place sometime between Dec. 1 and Dec. 10.   

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Theft of Services

Officer Richard Laird III was sent to the Hooters at Mercer Mall at 11:06 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7, to investigate a theft after the restaurant management called police to report that two unknown men had left without paying their $69 bill.

 

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, Dec. 7, through Tuesday, Dec. 13, 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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