NPD: Drug charges for driving duo

A 17-year-old Nutley boy and a 22-year-old Little Falls man were both arrested on a slew of drug-related charges after they were pulled over on Passaic Ave. on May 9, the Nutley Police Department said.

Police said the 17-year-old boy was driving the car when it was pulled over. During the course of the investigation after the stop, police said they found more than 50 grams of pot in the car in individual packages prepared for distribution.

The 22-year-old man, Travis Dejesus, reportedly gave police a fake name to avoid apprehension on two warrants — one out of Hackensack and the other from Nutley.

In all, Dejesus was charged with possession of CDS under 50 grams and hindering apprehension by giving a false name to avoid being discovered on a warrant, police said.

The juvenile driver, police said, was charged with possession of CDS, possession within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of CDS within 500 feet of a park, possession with intent to distribute and a summons for operating a motor vehicle while in possession of CDS.

The boy was transported to the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center while Dejesus was transferred into the custody of the Hackensack PD on the warrant for which he couldn’t post bail.

Meanwhile, the NPD released the following reports of incidents that took place between May 7 and May 13:

May 7

• Justin Gerald, 28, of Lyndhurst, was arrested on Park Ave. during a motor vehicle stop and charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also issued summonses for failing to use a signal at a traffic light and for possession of CDS in a vehicle. Gerald was advised of his court date and released on his own recognizance.

• Patrick Roberts, 29, of Lyndhurst, was arrested after being pulled over on River Road and charged on an outstanding East Rutherford warrant. Additionally, police said Roberts was issued summonses for driving on a suspended license and driving on an expired license. The East Rutherford PD released Roberts on his own recognizance, pending a new mandatory court date.

• Billy Arvanitakis, 44, of Bloomfield, was arrested on Bloomfield Ave. following a car crash and charged with drunken driving and use of a hand-held wireless phone. Arvanitakis was released on his own recognizance, pending a mandatory court date.

May 9

A reportedly speeding driver was arrested on Rt. 21 and was issued summonses for driving with a suspended license and speeding and on three outstanding Bloomfield warrants. Police said Gabrielle Deangelis, 27, was driving 84 mph in a 55 mph zone when they pulled her over. They said she was able to post bail on the Bloomfield warrants — and was released, pending new court dates in Bloomfield.

May 11

Vincent Hart, 47, of Belleville, was arrested on Franklin Ave. when police learned he had outstanding Essex County Sheriff’s Office and Belleville warrants during a field interview. Hart was transferred into the custody of the ECSO.

May 13

Thomas Ward, 41, of Budd Lake, was arrested on E. Centre St. and charged with lewdness after he was reportedly found urinating on Washington Elementary School. Police were on routine patrol when they said they saw Ward in the middle of urinating on the school. Ward then got into a car, which officers quickly pulled over. Ward was released on his own recognizance, pending court. Police placed photos of the urine stain on the school into evidence.

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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.