Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Fugitive charged after video surveillance helps residents identify him, police say.
Hopatcong police have found and charged a Hackettstown man they believe was caught on camera in a home surveillance video earlier this month and learned he also is a fugitive in Warren County. At noon June 5, an off-duty Hopatcong police officer noticed a vehicle matching the description of a car in a surveillance video driving slowly on Leo Avenue, Lt. Thomas Kmetz said. The video had captured a person who authorities suspected of breaking into a Hopatcong home at 12:15 p.m. May 30. Officer Tim Sutphen stopped the vehicle on Lakeside Boulevard and noticed Peter Baglio, 38, of Hackettstown in the passenger seat, Kmetz said. After an identification search, Sutphen learned Baglio had a no-bail warrant out of Warren County and subsequently …
Dr. Ronald Jupiter pleaded guilty to dispensing Percocet through his Roxbury office after he allegedly solicited sex from undercover officers.
A Roxbury dentist pleaded guilty to drug dispensing charges Monday after Morris County Acting Prosecutor Fredric Knapp said he gave out pain-relieving Percocet pills in exchange for sex. Dr. Ronald Jupiter, 62, of Roxbury, could face three years in state prison and be forced to pay $5,000 if he wishes to have his wife's 2005 Acura, which was seized at the time of his arrest, returned. The charges against him are for unlawfully dispensing a Schedule II Controlled Dangerous Substance without medical purpose by providing prescriptions to individuals that Jupiter was not medically treating. “Prescription drug abuse is a national epidemic, and enablers such as Dr. Jupiter contribute to the public health crisis caused by this abuse,” Acting …
Monday, June 17, 2013
Robert White had a Daisy BB gun when he was stopped by police in Byram, prosecutor says.
A Hackettstown man pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon without a permit this month, in addition to driving while intoxicated, according to Sussex County Prosecutor David Weaver's office. Robert White, 35, entered his plea on the third-degree weapon charge at the Sussex County Courthouse in Newton on June 3. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated, Weaver said. White was stopped by police in Byram Townsip on July 21, 2012. He admitted to driving under the influence of a variety of controlled dangerous substances, Weaver's office said. White is scheduled to be sentenced on July 26.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Two charged with disorderly conduct.
A fight in the middle of West Plane Street Wednesday ended in arrests after a police officer saw the men fighting just before 2 p.m., according to Hackettstown Police Sgt. Darren Tynan. Joseph Torres, 20, of Hacksttetstown, and Mattingly Stefanick, 19, of Belvidere, were both charged with disorderly conduct. The police officer was on patrol when he saw the men fighting in the street, Tynan said. The Hackettstown Rescue Squad responded to the scene to assist. Both were arrested and later released with a date to appear in court. For questions on this report, email ariana.cohn-sheehan@patch.com.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
A Hackettstown woman's car crashed into a street sign after being struck, police said.
Two drivers were taken to Hackettstown Regional Medical Center Tuesday with injuries after a car crash on Mountain Avenue. One of the drivers, Benjamin Novaky, 23, of Budd Lake, was issued a careless driving summons while the other driver, Jennifer Surve, 45, of Hackettstown, was issued a summons for having expired registration. The crash happened around 7 a.m., according to Sgt. Darren Tynan, after Novaky was pulling out of the Raceway gas station in his 2007 Chevy headed south when he allegedly failed to yield to Surve's 2012 Chevy. Novaky's car struck Surve's, pushing her car over the yellow lines and into a street sign, Tynan said. After the crash, Tynan said Novaky complained of chest pain and Surve complained of leg pain. Both were …
Security guard at Hackettstown Regional Medical Center was allegedly handed phone with heroin hidden in battery compartment.
A Budd Lake man was charged with heroin possession after police said he handed a hospital security guard a cell phone with heroin hidden in the battery pack for a patient, according to police. Adnan Smajlovic, 26, was released after being charged and is now awaiting a court appearance, Sgt. Darren Tynan said. Police received a call from Hackettstown Regional Medial Center at about 11 p.m. on Tuesday about suspected heroin being brought into the facility, Tynan said. Smajlovic handed the phone to the security guard and asked him to give the phone to a person who was recently admitted, according to Tynan. The security guard grew suspicious and checked the cell phone. Inside, Tynan said he found seven folds of suspected heroin. Smajlovic left…
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Tewksbury police say no abduction attempt made, but want to question middle-aged man who approached a nine-year-old on Saturday.
Tewksbury police are asking residents both locally and regionally to help find a man who approached a young boy riding his bike on McCann Mill Road. On Saturday, in the Pottersville section of town, a nine-year-old was riding his bike near the area of Brady Camp between 2 and 4 p.m., Tewksbury police said. A car drove alongside the boy and the driver, a man said to be in his 50s, waved the boy over to his car, police said. The boy went to the window and was handed a pamphlet that said "God Bless Your Family," police reported. The driver then rode off in what police believe was a Hyundai sedan, possibly blue in color, and headed south on McCann Mill Road toward Black River Road. The boy described the driver as having white hair, wearing …
Proposed bill would allow police officers to search cell phones after accidents. Supporters say it will help curb distracted driving-related incidents. Opponents say it violates drivers' rights.
When stopped by police, motorists usually are asked to present a driver's license and registration. If a bill just introduced before the state Senate becomes law, cell phones could be added to that list. The legislation, sponsored by state Sen. James Holzapfel (R-Ocean), would allow police to search a driver's cell phone without a warrant to determine if he or she was talking or texting immediately prior to a motor vehicle accident, according to an NJ.com report. Those in favor of the measure say it will give law enforcement officers—who must have "reasonable grounds" to demand the phone—an important asset in investigating crashes involving distracted driving, the article said. Using a cell phone while driving is a violation of New Jersey …
Monday, June 10, 2013
Police are urging residents not to provide financial, credit information over the phone as a caller allegedly posed as a Social Security Office administrator.
A call to one Hackettstown resident believed to be from a Social Security and Medicare administrator asking for financial information has prompted police to ask residents to avoid sharing private data over the phone. The Hackettstown Police Department received a report from a resident who received the call in which they were threatened that medical benefits could be lost if the resident did not provide banking information over the phone, according to Sgt. Darren Tynan. "The Hackettstown Police Department urges everyone not to provide financial or credit card information to anyone who calls you and asks for it," Tynan said. "If you wish to do business over the phone, the safest way is for you to initiate the phone call at a phone number you…
Saturday, June 8, 2013
New York man sent to jail after duct tape and aluminum foil used to thwart security measures were allegedly found in car.
A Bronx man is being held in jail in lieu of $10,000 bail after Hackettstown police said he had burglary tools in his car Wednesday and used a fake name when questioned by an officer. Deasisa Youmans, 34, was charged with possession of burglary tools, possessing another person's personal information and using a fake ID, according to Sgt. Darren Tynan. The passenger in his car, Akira Woodall, 23, of Brooklyn, was also charged with providing false information and was released with a date to appear in court. Youmans was driving on Route 46 around 9:30 p.m. when he was stopped for allegedly not using headlights and driving with a suspended license. When speaking to the police officer, he gave multiple names, dates of birth and social security …
Patchisarag
5:37 pm on Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Seriously Chris? Now its the Cops fault because you couldn't play past 9 pm? Why is it always somebody's fault when kids get in trouble? I also was a kid in the 80's and in HS in the 90's and we always found things to do without getting into to trouble let alone doing drugs. more ›