In the wee hours — 1:30 a.m., to be precise — of last Wednesday, March 23, Officer Mina Ekladious observed a man walking on the 600 block of Passaic Ave.
Literally on the avenue, as opposed to on a sidewalk bordering it.
Police said he was strolling north in the southbound traffic lane.
Ekladious ordered him to the side of the road for a field inquiry and a warrant check, which police said revealed that the man had two: a $5,000 Newark warrant for “wandering in a drug area,” and a no-bail warrant from the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Roberto Padilla, 36, of Newark, was arrested, processed at headquarters and held for transport to the Union County Jail.
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Other recent reports from the Kearny police blotter included the following:
March 17
At 8:30 a.m., Officer Leroy Bibbs observed a vehicle make an improper turn at Belgrove Drive and Grant Ave., conducted a MV stop and a warrant inquiry, and arrested driver Jihun Lee, 38, of Kearny, on a $113 Kearny traffic warrant. Lee was also issued a summons for the illegal turn and was later released on bail.
March 18
Officer Darwin Paulino, en route to a hit-run accident at Kearny and Stuyvesant Aves. at 2:20 a.m., was advised that two males were running from the scene — and he spotted them fleeing east on Stuyvesant, police said. When they were stopped, one of the pair, Christopher Dodd, 22, of Kearny, reportedly admitted to having been involved in the crash.
Following field sobriety tests, Dodd was arrested and, in a search incident to same, was found to be in possession of a substance believed to be marijuana, police said. After an Alcotest at HQ, he was charged with: DUI, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, possession of a CDS in a motor vehicle, and possession of pot and paraphernalia.
Dodd’s companion, who had been a passenger, was interviewed and released.
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Shortly after noon, Vice detectives stopped a 2014 Nissan, operated by Dionne Horton, 45, of Newark, in the area of Highland and Wilson Aves. Police said they had information that she and her passenger, Axel Rodriguez, 43, of Kearny, had earlier engaged in a drug transaction, and from him they reportedly recovered a plastic bag of marijuana and a partially smoked marijuana cigar.
While interviewing Horton, the officers said, they observed a vial in the car and found that it contained two alprazolam pills and one eszopiclone. She was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a prescription drug; he, with possession of pot and paraphernalia. After being booked at HQ, both were released on summonses.
March 19
At about 11 p.m., in the area of Harrison and Bergen Aves., Officer Jon Dowie, with Officer Chris Manolis as back-up, stopped a 2014 Chevy that had no license plate. When the officers approached the car, they reportedly detected the odor of marijuana, particularly on the passenger side. Following inquiries, passenger Joel Martinez, 21, of Newark, turned over a pot-laced cigar and admitted he had secreted a bag of the drug in the vehicle, police said. He was charged with possession of pot and paraphernalia. The driver was issued a summons for the license-plate violation.
March 22
Shortly after 1 a.m., in the area of Kearny and Pavonia Aves., Officer Michael Alvarez stopped a Virginia-registered Volvo for a lighting violation. Police said the driver, 23-year-old Tahan Hargrove of Belleville, was found to have a drug-possession warrant out of Madison and a Nutley motor-vehicle warrant. He was arrested and later released on bail.
March 23
Officer Ben Wuelfing, at Bergen and Davis Aves. at 2 p.m., was alerted by his computer that the registered owner of a 2005 Dodge crossing the intersection had a suspended license. Stopping the auto, he verified that driver Christian Garcia-Carretero, 38, of Kearny, was suspended and also had a $7,500 criminal warrant from Jersey City, police said. Wuelfing also ran a warrant check on the passenger, Jessica Mould, 40, of Kearny, who reportedly had a $350 Newark warrant for driving while suspended.
Both were arrested and taken to HQ. Mould later bailed herself out. Garcia-Carretero was held for pick-up by Jersey City police.
March 24
Shortly after midnight, Officers Jason Rodrigues and Dominic Dominguez responded to Oakwood Ave. and Devon St. on a report of a suspicious vehicle — a 2007 BMW that had been parked with its lights on for “an excessive” amount of time. Police said its occupant, Jorge Gonzalez, 33, of Paterson, was found to have a Clifton motor-vehicle warrant. He was arrested and later released on bail.
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At 3:20 a.m., Officer Michael Gontarczuk was alerted that the owner of a 1997 Acura travelling near Beech St. and the Belleville Pike had a Jersey City warrant for driving without a license, police said. Rafael Vargas, 22, of Union City, was arrested and released on bail.
