Random plate check turns up costly infractions
An officer traveling west on Grand Avenue at 8:11 a.m. on Dec. 18 ran a random plate check in traffic, coming up with a hit for expired registration. The officer stopped the suspect on Craig Road.
It turned out the driver, 27, also had a suspended driver’s license and a $500 warrant out of Fairfield. He told the officer he would have to go to the bank before going to court to satisfy the warrant.
Officers patted down the defendant and placed him into a patrol car, then took him to his bank. (Actually, two: the ATMs were out of order at the first bank.)
Then he was taken to Pascack Municipal Court, where he satisfied the warrant.
He was advised to have a valid driver meet him at police headquarters to take control of his vehicle.
The defendant received two summonses.
Tinted windows and veering over the yellow lines
Police conducted a traffic stop at Summit Avenue and Chestnut Ridge Road just before 11 p.m. on Dec. 19, which led to the arrest of the driver over controlled dangerous substances.
According to the police report, police on patrol saw the defendant’s gray 2003 Mitsubishi Galant traveling west. It had dark tinted windows and veered over the solid yellow line.
Police stopped the car and made contact with the driver.
“While he was gathering his documents for review I observed marijuana crumbs on the passenger seat and along the dashboard,” the officer reports.
The defendant, 18, said he had smoked marijuana in the vehicle three days prior.
The driver and car were searched. There was a grinder with marijuana crumbs in the center console. A toiletries bag in the vehicle contained five THC cartridges.
The defendant was arrested, then given summonses (traffic on marked lanes, safety glass, possession of controlled dangerous substances in a motor vehicle, possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia), and a court date at Pascack Joint Municipal Court.
He was released and given a courtesy ride back to his car.
Brother against brother in alleged tool thefts
Police on the night of Dec. 19 took a report of theft on Forest Avenue. Evidently earlier in the day a resident captured on home surveillance video a suspect—his brother—making off with DeWalt power tools in their bright yellow cases.
“He was walking away from the [garage]… attempting to conceal the cases as he was walking out of view of the camera,” the report reads in part.
The victim said the suspect had now stolen tools from him twice in the past three weeks. At last report he was making a copy of the video available to police and was completing a witness statement.
Batch of traffic summonses, and one for the registered owner
A motor vehicle stop the night of Dec. 20 led to a traffic warrant arrest. According to the police report, an officer on patrol on Chestnut Ridge Road at Powder Hill saw a New York-registered Honda Accord with its tail lights out.
The officer stopped the defendant, whose age is redacted from the report, and asked for credentials. Dispatch advised that the defendant could be linked to an automated traffic system warrant out of Teaneck but wanted the officer to confirm previous residency.
The address matched. When backup arrived, the defendant and his passengers were moved to the nearby Exxon station for safety, and then the defendant was arrested, handcuffed, and placed in a patrol car.
At headquarters he was placed in a soft cell and processed. He paid $30 for his 10% bail and given a receipt.
He was issued five summonses: obstruction of windshield for vision, driving without a license, open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, failure to use lighted lamps when required, and improper display/unclear plate.
The registered owner was mailed a summons for allowing an unlicensed person to drive.
Marijuana stem on the lap leads to growing woes
A motor vehicle stop on the west side of town led to the arrest of the driver over a controlled dangerous substance.
According to the police report, the officer was driving through the Garden State Parkway service area at 7 p.m. on Dec. 21 when he saw a vehicle parked on the northbound side, with the driver’s head down toward his lap and the center dome light on.
When the officer approached the driver window he noticed a marijuana stem on the defendant’s lap. He knocked on the window to have him roll it down.
When the defendant did so, the officer says he detected the odor of raw marijuana emanating from within. He says he relayed his observations and asked if there were other drugs in the vehicle.
The defendant reached down and retrieved a clear Ziploc bag of raw marijuana from the car floor.
After checking the driver’s credentials the officer confirmed the driver did not have a medical marijuana card. Then he searched the car. With backup on scene, the officer arrested the defendant and brought him to headquarters for processing.
The defendant was given a summons to appear at Pascack Joint Municipal Court over possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, and was issued two motor vehicle summonses: possession of controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle and failure to exhibit driver’s insurance.
He was released and given a courtesy ride back to his car.
