A New York City man was arrested last Thursday on suspicion of credit-card theft and other charges after an obscured license plate on his truck caught the eye of Kearny Officer Luis Moran, KPD Chief John Dowie reported.
Moran was on patrol on Harrison Ave. shortly after 9 p.m. June 11 when he noticed an “unclear” plate on the back of a 2004 Ford pickup. After Moran, backed up by Officers Pat Becker and Frank West, stopped the vehicle, driver Robert McLeod, 47, of Jamaica, Queens, produced a N.Y. driver’s license that was found to be suspended, Dowie said.
In the cab of the truck, the officers reportedly saw “numerous” debit, credit and gift cards. Closer inspection revealed that “some appeared to have been issued to four individuals other than McLeod and some appeared to be altered in an attempt to put his name on them,” the chief said.
In the bed of the truck, police said, were several containers “reeking of diesel fuel,” for which McLeod was unable to produce a receipt.
The truck was impounded, and he was charged with credit-card theft, driving while suspended and having fictitious plates. Police said he was also found to have a civil contempt warrant from Alpine.
The U.S. Secret Service was contacted regarding the cards. Kearny Det. John Plaugic is attempting to track the origin of the diesel fuel.
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Other recent reports from the Kearny police blotter included the following:
June 5
At 6 p.m., Officer Daniel Esteves saw a 2006 Toyota mount the sidewalk at Chestnut St. and Bergen Ave., then continue west on Bergen and turn onto Kearny Ave., where it was pulled over. Driver Jose Arias, 56, of Hasbrouck Heights, was found to have a suspended, and expired, license, police said. He was charged with driving while suspended and unlicensed, driving on a sidewalk and failure to signal a turn.
June 6
Sgt. Charles Smith and Officer Giovanni Rodriguez were called to Walmart at 3:45 p.m. after security reported finding a pocketbook containing a bag of suspected marijuana on a store shelf. The purse was identified as belonging to (now ex-) employee Breyana Dallas, 25, of Jersey City, who was charged with possession of the drug.
June 8
Officer Sean Kelly responded at 8:45 p.m. to the 300 block of Belgrove Drive, where four juvenile females had arrived at the home of a fifth, with whom they reportedly had an ongoing dispute, and were “screaming and banging violently” on the door. Kelly attempted to calm them, but one, a 15-year-old from Kearny, was “extremely hostile,” initially refused to provide identification and became combative, police said. Backup units dispersed her friends, but she was arrested and taken to headquarters, where police said they found she had provided false information. She was charged with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and hindering apprehension and was released to her mother.
June 11
Shortly after 9 a.m., vice detectives were driving east over the Belleville Pike bridge when they reported seeing a 2001 Isuzu abruptly cross from the left-turn to the right-turn lane without signalling. Stopping the car on Passaic Ave., the officers said they saw the front-seat passenger attempt to hide something in her clothing. Jacquelin Carey, 36, of Lyndhurst, was reportedly found to be in possession of five wax folds of heroin and two vials of cocaine. Police said the driver, Nicole Docatis, 36, of Kearny, also had five folds of heroin and three vials of coke.
Both were charged with possession of the drugs and paraphernalia. Docatis also received summonses for driving while suspended and operating a motor vehicle while in possession of CDS.
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At 2 p.m., HQ was advised of an erratic driver in the neighborhood of Passaic and S. Midland Aves. Dowie, Sgt. Dave Rakowski and Officers Esteves and Jordenson Jean converged on the area and located a 1997 Ford SUV operated by Marcio Olicshevis, 54, of Kearny. Dowie said there was a strong odor of alcohol and the driver was incoherent. In the SUV, police reportedly saw two bottles of Dewar’s, one of which was open. Olicshevis was given field sobriety tests and an Alcotest and was charged with DWI, having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle and operating an uninsured vehicle.
– Karen Zautyk
