This section is based on data provided to Pascack Press weekly by neighborhood police departments. Due to pending court appearances and other variations, the following information shall be read in ‘press time’ context.
Man arrested for DWI after he smacks median
Units were dispatched to Grand Avenue West at 5:33 p.m. on Feb. 1 for a report of an erratic driver. Investigation led to the arrest of a man for driving while intoxicated.
According to the report, the driver was called in as having struck the center median driving west on Grand Avenue past Wegmans.
Police found the driver outside his vehicle, a 2008 Toyota four-door, attempting to find his tire jack to fix his flat front driver’s side tire.
Police said they immediately noticed the driver’s speech was slow and slurred and that his breath smelled of alcohol, his eyes were watery, and that he had urinated on himself.
The man, whose name and residence are whited out in our copy of his police report, “admitted he had had two drinks at his construction site.”
He was unable to complete field sobriety tests. He was arrested for DWI. A search of his vehicle turned up a 750 ml bottle and two 375 ml bottles of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Whiskey, both in a cooler behind the driver’s seat. The bottles had trace amounts of alcohol inside.
The vehicle was impounded.
At headquarters, the defendant gave breath samples showing blood alcohol content of 0.15 percent. He was charged with careless driving, DWI, and open container.
He was given an initial court date, which also is whited out in the police report, and then at 8:45 p.m. his wife came to get him.
Driver, passenger arrested on slew of drug charges
Police conducted a traffic stop on Kinderkamack Road Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. that yielded a cache of drugs and ended in the arrest of two: a man, 32, and a woman, 30, both in a 2013 gray BMW with New York registration.
According to the police report, the officer was parked between buildings on Railroad Avenue, monitoring traffic, when he saw the suspect drive through the traffic light and stop in the intersection, holding up traffic. The vehicle then made an illegal left turn onto Grand Avenue. The officer pulled out and followed the suspect, who signaled left and cut off oncoming traffic, which had the right of way heading west on Grand Avenue.
The officer activated his unit’s emergency lights, and the suspect pulled into the 7-Eleven lot. As the officer pulled in, the suspect got out of his car. The officer ordered him back into his car, and he complied.
In speaking with the driver, who handed over an expired insurance card with his documents, the officer smelled the strong presence of marijuana from inside the car. The driver denied smoking marijuana; the passenger said he’d smoked some earlier.
A search of both people turned up cash: $703 on the driver and $405 on the passenger—along with a tinfoil ball coupled with the cash containing 13 yellow oval pills confirmed as Xanax. The passenger had no prescription for the meds but said he was taking it to treat an old basketball injury.
Both suspects were acting agitated and nervous, police said, so they were separated.
A search of the car turned up a find of many small clear blue baggies and a small pocket scale in the center console. On the floor behind the passenger seat was a small silver tray covered in white powder.
As the officers searched the rear of the car they smelled a stronger odor of marijuana emanating from the rear center console leading to the trunk that was propped partially open. Officers popped the trunk and found a shoebox containing a white powder and a straight-edge razor with a large amount of white powder on the blade.
Behind that box was another box, containing many plastic shopping bags. Inside those bags the officers located a large clear plastic bag tied in a knot and filled with raw marijuana.
Also in the box was a Ziploc bag containing packages of plastic packaging bags. In another bag was another razor with an unknown white powder on the blade.
Police secured the evidence and had the car towed to headquarters. One of the suspects was found to have an outstanding warrant for $2,500. The registered owner of the car, 26, was called and advised to respond to headquarters. She refused consent for the police to search the car further, so a search warrant was requested.
Summonses were issued for possession of controlled dangerous substance; manufacturing, distributing or dispensing; possession with intent to distribute drugs; possession, use or being under the influence, or failure to make lawful disposition; distribute, dispense or possess with intent to distribute or manufacture, crime of fourth degree; and possession of drug paraphernalia.
In addition, motor vehicle summonses were issued for operation of motor vehicle while in possession of controlled dangerous substances, failure to observe traffic control device, failure to yield right of way, improper display/unclear plates, safety glass requirement, and failure to possess insurance card.
Both defendants were taken to be lodged at the Bergen County Jail. The car was kept at headquarters pending a search warrant for further investigation.
Stop over inspection sticker turns up drug charges
A motor vehicle stop on the west side of town led to the arrest of the passenger for possession of a controlled dangerous substance.
According to the police report, the Feb. 4 stop, just before 9 a.m., followed from an out of the car New Jersey DMV inspection detail on Grand Avenue near the Montvale Free Church.
Police stopped a car traveling east with no inspection sticker and a cracked windshield. In speaking with the driver, police smelled the strong odor of burnt marijuana from inside the car.
Both the driver, 27, and passenger, 28, admitted to having recently smoked marijuana. They denied having any marijuana in the car but a search of the car nevertheless turned up a bag of raw marijuana, a glass cylinder of marijuana oil, two cigar blunt packets, and a grinder with raw marijuana residue.
These items were found in a backpack on the floor between the driver and passenger seats.
Complaints were given for marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, answerable in Pascack Joint Municipal Court. Summonses also were given for drug possession by motor vehicle operator and expired inspection.
Local woman’s stolen Land Rover found ablaze in NY
Units responded to Nottingham Court on Feb. 5 just after 4:30 a.m. for a report of a stolen vehicle.
According to the police report, units who met with the caller learned she received a call from her father saying that her 2014 Range Rover had been found in New York set afire. There was nothing left of the vehicle once the blaze was extinguished.
The caller, who is reported as being visibly shaken, said she had picked up her sons from school on Monday, Feb. 4 and returned home at approximately 5 p.m. She parked at the front of her complex and went inside.
She confirmed that she left her car doors unlocked with the key fob inside the vehicle—a practice law enforcement officers in the Pascack Valley area warn absolutely aids car thieves, who are preying on such owners.
She could not think of anyone she has issues with locally and had not noticed anything out of the ordinary that could provide suspect information.
The police report says she added she has an ex-boyfriend who lives in [redacted]. Their relationship ended in August 2018 partly due to “drama” the report leaves whited out.
The car was entered into the National Crime Information Center database as stolen. Police where the car was found advised that an arson dog was en route to the scene to aid with the investigation. No further Montvale police action was reported in the matter.
Late-night winds fell tree on Upper Saddle River Road
A property owner on Upper Saddle River Road told Pascack Press he heard a large crack and a boom around 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 24, during a National Weather Service high wind warning.
It turned out a large shade tree had broken, falling onto power lines at the front of his property and trapping his Land Rover.
He said his mailbox was damaged but there was no other property loss.
Across the state, winds blew 25–35 mph, with gusts reaching 60 mph in certain areas.
Who signed for the delivery? Items ordered are gone
A local business owner reported a possible stolen package Feb. 5 just after 11 a.m.
The police report says the business owner ordered items Dec. 5, 2018 and was charged $422.19. Two months later, he contacted the company to check on his order. He was told it had been delivered Dec. 8 and signed for at his location. The person signing for the items was not known to him.
He was advised to make a police report before the company would decide whether to resend the items or refund his money.
Two snow blowers spirited away from storage truck
Police responded to a location on Paragon Drive Feb. 7 at 1:06 p.m. for a report of theft.
The complainant, who owns a snow removal company, said two large snow blowers were stolen from a truck storing them at Paragon Drive.
The owner was unsure how someone gained access to the truck, which was locked and not tampered with. He speculated that someone got into the lock box with the correct code to obtain a key.
He does not want to pursue an investigation; he just wanted to file a report for reference.
