Police Blotter: Sex Crime Alleged, Stolen Car Located, More Burglaries Reported, and DUI Suspect Arrested

Sex Crime

At 12:25 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, a Lawrence Township resident called police to report that she had been touched in an inappropriate manner by an elderly male neighbor.

The woman, who is in her 30s, told police that her neighbor, a man in his 80s, came over to her house, engaged her in conversation, and then kissed her and grabbed her in a private area, according to Lt. Mark Ubry, spokesman for Lawrence Township Police Department.

Township police investigated and subsequently arrested the man on a charge of criminal sexual contact, Ubry said.

To protect the identity of the victim, Lawrenceville Patch is not reporting the exact ages of the man and woman and also withholding the street on which the alleged crime occurred.

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Stolen Vehicle Recovered

At 8:16 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, police received a call about a suspicious vehicle parked behind a business in the 2900 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1). The caller reported that the vehicle’s license plates were missing and its windows were smashed out, Ubry said.

Ubry said officers arrived and soon discovered that the 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity was the in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) on Nov. 18.

He said Detective James Smith and Officer Matthew Grossi are continuing the investigation.

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Burglary

At 3:19 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, a resident of Paddock Drive called police to report that a generator had been stolen from his garage. The man told police he had last seen the generator in mid-November, Ubry said, noting that police found no evidence of forced entry. Detectives are continuing the investigation, he said.

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Burglary

Police responded to an address on Michigan Avenue after residents called police at 11:05 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, to report that their house had been burglarized. The family had just returned home from vacation, Ubry said.

Stolen were assorted jewelry and prescription medication, Ubry said. He said the crime took place sometime between Nov. 26 and Dec. 3 and that the burglar pried open a bathroom window to gain entry to the house.

Detective William Chester and Officer James Larkin Jr. are investigating, he said.

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Burglary

At 10:16 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 5, police were notified that four spools of electrical wire had been stolen from inside the old Colonial Lanes bowling alley, which is in the process of being remodeled into the new which will feature a restaurant and sports bar, laser tag arena, bowling lanes, billiards, and more.

Ubry said the break-in is believed to have taken place sometime between Dec. 3 and Dec. 5. Detective Kevin Reading Jr. and Officer Shaun Sexton are investigating.

It is the fourth burglary at the site in two months. Burglaries to construction trailers on the property were reported on , and .

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Burglary

At 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7, a resident of Foxtail Court called police to report his home had been burglarized.

Ubry said the victim arrived home to find that a 46-inch flat-screen TV, jewelry and a Swiss army knife had been stolen. He said police suspect the burglar gained entry to the residence via an unlocked rear window.

He said Detective James Smith and Officer Marc Caponi are investigating.

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Theft

At 9:01 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, a resident of Princeton Avenue called police to report a possibly burglary. While police were unable to substantiate that a break-in had taken place, they did launch an investigation into the alleged theft of a quantity of cash, a twin bed and a futon bed, Ubry said.

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Driving Under the Influence

Daniel Hyden, 32, of Trenton, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in the early hours on Wednesday, Dec. 7, and charged with driving under the influence, DUI in a school zone, reckless driving, operating a vehicle without valid insurance and misusing historic license plates, according to Ubry.

He said police received a phone call at 2:48 a.m. from the manager of the McGuinn’s Place tavern in the 1700 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) reporting there was a man “gunning” the engine of his car dangerously close to the deck attached to the building.

Officers Erini Papafilipakis and Michael Smith arrived to find Hayden in the driver’s seat of a 1977 Chevrolet. Hayden appeared to the officers to be intoxicated and acted irrationally as they tried to interview him, Ubry said. He said Hayden was taken into custody after he performed poorly on field sobriety tests.

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, Dec. 1, through Tuesday, Dec. 6, 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.