Daily Archives: September 4, 2018
September 4, 2018
Contact: Sheriff Armando Fontoura (973) 621-4105
Piscataway – A dawn telephone call on Sunday to a sleeping, off-duty Essex County sheriff’s officer resulted in the birth of a seven-pound, thirteen-ounce bundle of joy.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura said that Officer Kaisha Madera, a seven-year veteran of the department, answered the call from Essex County Jail Warden Charles Green.
“Green is the uncle to Madera’s boyfriend and she is close to many members of Green’s family,” the sheriff noted. “Green advised Madera that his daughter, Rajine, a Piscataway neighbor of Madera, was about to give birth and asked if Madera would escort her to the hospital.”
Madera raced from her house and by the time she reached Ms. Green’s residence she found the expectant mother on the floor, her water broken and in the final phases of labor.
“Within moments of Madera’s arrival, the birthing process commenced. Out popped little Koren’s head. Officer Madera, the mother of two teenagers and no stranger to the birthing process, grabbed a blanket and a damp cloth,” Fontoura added. “Madera held the baby girl’s head and shoulders and guided the infant into her welcoming arms.”
“I quickly cleaned little Koren up, wrapped her in the blanket, and called 911 for an ambulance,” Off. Madera said. “The whole experience was a bit of a shock to all three of us but everything turned out for the best. Baby Koren let the world know she was here with vigorous crying.”
Mother and newborn daughter were taken to St. Peter’s University Hospital for further observation. They are scheduled to return home today
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August 31, 2018
Contact: Sheriff Armando Fontoura (973) 621-4105
Newark – Essex County sheriff’s officers tonight administered Naxalon (NARCAN) to a motorist whose vehicle was found stopped at the Clifton Avenue exit to Branch Brook Park.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that officers from his department’s Patrol Division observed a 2018 Chevrolet Suburban SUV at the recreational facility at 7:00 p.m. this evening.
“Behind to wheel, the driver, later identified as Lionel Davis, 58, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was found to be unconscious and unresponsive,” Sheriff Fontoura said. “On the center console of the vehicle our officers discovered 10 heroin-filled envelops, stamped ‘SAVAGE’ in red ink.”
Two weeks ago, similarly marked heroin were confiscated from a Newark suspect in a series of raids by sheriff’s officers in the city’s North Ward.
“Our officers utilized a hammer to break the vehicle’s windows, removed Mr. Davis from his car, and administered Naxalone and oxygen to revive him,” Fontoura added.
The victim was transported to St. Michael’s Hospital where he is expected to recover.
Uber Vehicle Used in Cocaine BustAugust 28, 2018
Contact: Sheriff Armando Fontoura (973) 621-4105
Newark – A routine traffic stop on Monday evening by Essex County sheriff’s detectives resulted in the seizure of $100,000 in cocaine and the arrest of a Newark man.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that officers from his department’s Bureau of Narcotics were conducting routine quality of life operations in the city yesterday when they observed a double parked 2015 Chevrolet Suburban with New York license plates obstructing traffic at 171 Peshine Avenue.
“Our detectives pulled up behind the SUV and activated lights and siren but the vehicle did not move,” Sheriff Fontoura said. “As the officers approached the vehicle, later found to be a Uber taxi, all four windows rolled down simultaneously.”
The back seat passenger, Dawan Brown, 33, was seen attempting to hide a backpack under the front seat of the vehicle.
“One of the items concealed in the backpack, a clear plastic bag, filled with a white powdery substance, spilled onto the floor of the car,” Fontoura noted. “Brown was removed from the car and placed under arrest. 18 additional plastic bags, totaling two kilos of cocaine, were also seized.”
Brown was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of the Belmont Runyon School and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public housing complex.
Brown was lodged at the county jail where he awaits a bail hearing.
The Uber driver was found to be uninvolved in a narcotics conspiracy. He was issued a motor vehicle summons for double parking and released.
Suspects Arrested Narcotics/Weapons Including 70-Year Old Wheelchair Bound Male
May 31, 2018
Contact: Sheriff Armando Fontoura (973) 621-4105
Newark – Seven suspects, including a wheelchair bound man in his 70’s and a female septuagenarian, were arrested Wednesday afternoon on multiple drug charges by Essex County sheriff’s detectives in four simultaneous raids on two federally funded housing complexes in Newark.
“In executing a search warrant yesterday at a second floor apartment, located at 15 Pennington Street, our officers walked in on four male suspects, sitting around a glass-topped coffee table and wearing plastic gloves, as they were in the process of packaging heroin for street distribution,” Sheriff Armando Fontoura said.
Recovered at the scene were 22 grams of uncut morphine, 524 heroin-filled glassine envelopes, an additional 17 grams of unpackaged heroin, 84 grams of ‘crack’ cocaine, $801 in alleged drug sale proceeds and a wide assortment of drug packaging and processing materials.
Taken into custody were Kenneth McCarthy, 45, Sherif Kirksey, 40 Steven Richardson, 59, all of Newark, and Anibal Rodriquez, 53, of Carteret.
Three other search warrants were executed at apartments at 1060 Broad Street.
In a fourth floor apartment, wheelchair-bound Weldon Grady, 73, was arrested when the sheriff’s narcotics officers discovered 10 vials of ‘crack’ cocaine, 27 Suboxone films and 9 oxycodone tablets on top of the suspect’s bedroom dresser.
A third floor apartment was also raided. Here, the sheriff’s detectives seized two plastic bags containing heroin, three plastic bags containing cocaine, 9 oxycodone tablets and drug packaging materials in the living room of Katherine Stokes, 76.
A search warrant for the seventh floor apartment of Charlie Flowers, 64, was also executed and it yielded a metal cannister, containing 67 grams of ‘crack’ cocaine and drug processing materials. Flowers was also found to have six vials of ‘crack’ cocaine secreted in his waistband.
“Our national opioid crisis is real,” Sheriff Fontoura noted. “Senior citizens involved in the narcotics trafficking of heroin, morphine and oxycodone is a reflection that this scourge knows no limits.”
The street value of the narcotics seized in the four raids is estimated to be in excel of $30,000.
McCarthy, Kirksey, Richardson and Rodriguez were each charged with 15 criminal counts, including possession of CDS, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of Sanford Charter School, conspiracy to violate New Jersey’s narcotics laws and maintaining a narcotics production facility.
Grady was charged with six criminal counts, including possession and possession of CDS with intent to distribute.
Stokes was charged with 13 criminal counts, including possession and possession of CDS with intent to distribute.
Flowers was charged with 5 criminal counts, including possession and possession of CDS with intent to distribute.
Narcotics/Weapons ArrestsAugust 30, 2018
Contact: Sheriff Armando Fontoura (973) 621-4105
Newark – In simultaneous raids by a law enforcement task force on two North Ward townhouse apartments on Wednesday afternoon, two suspects were arrested and weapons and drug charges were filed against them.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that the task force, comprised of detectives from his department’s Bureau of Narcotics and the Newark and Irvington police departments, yesterday executed two search warrants at 211 Mt. Pleasant Avenue.
“With the front door to the residence and the apartment door wide open, our officers had no problem serving Angel Torres, 60, with the warrant,” Sheriff Fontoura said. “The search of his apartment yielded a fully loaded, .38 caliber, Rossi revolver and a cache of 55 additional rounds of ammunition. Torres was placed under arrest and he was also found to be in possession of four vials of ‘crack’ cocaine and $24 in alleged drug proceeds.”
Across the common hall of the townhouse, a forced entry was necessary to gain access to 73-year-old Sergio Orama’s apartment.
“Orama was found at his living room table which contained 76 grams of ‘crack’ cocaine, some of which had already been packaged for street sale, and a wide assortment of drug processing materials,” Fontoura added. “He was arrested and $153 in alleged drug proceeds was confiscated from him.”
The estimated street value of the narcotics is $4,000.
Torres and Orama were both charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within1000 feet of Technology High School and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public housing complex.
Torres was additionally charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and possession of a weapon while committing a CDS crime.
Orama was also found to be the subject of five open warrants issued by the Newark municipal court.
Both suspects were lodged at the county jail where they await bail hearings.