Compiled by Capt. Timothy Wagner
Kearny Police Department
Editor’s note: A production error led to part of this blotter not appearing in print. We apologize for this inconvenience.
Two New Yorkers probably would have done themselves some favors last week if they’d listened to the order from Mayor Bill de Blasio to stay inside and on that side of the Hudson River.
On May 16 at 9:55 p.m., Officer Anthony Oliveira and several back-up officers responded to the 100 block of Garfield Avenue on a report of males acting suspiciously near a van. Allegedly trying to gain entry to the front passenger door of said van, Officer Oliveira found Kirvon C. Mines, 26, of New York City, who identified as a woman but fit the caller’s description.
Jose A. Morales, 24, also of New York, exited a beige Nissan left running nearby and approached the officer.
Mines and Morales gave the officers two stories that allegedly didn’t match up to an ant hill of truth. Officers learned the beige Nissan actually belonged to a nearby resident who had not loaned it out. Officers found Mines had a key to a Ford van she was trying to enter; however, that van had been reported stolen the prior day to the NYPD.
The two were arrested.
A search of the passenger compartment of the stolen van revealed personal effects of Mines’s, a Ziploc bag of crystal methamphetamine, a vial of crystal methamphetamine, a digital scale, a tourniquet, a package of rolling papers, a large smoking pipe, several hypodermic needles and two pocket knives.
After being escorted to the backseat of a police vehicle, Morales allegedly began a torrent of shouting, cursing, spitting, kicking and head-butting the car door. When an officer tried to address Morales’s insolence, Morales allegedly spit at him and stated several times, “I have coronavirus.”
Despite the risk, the officers then had to further restrain Morales to stop him from hurting himself.
Morales was charged with receiving stolen property, aggravated assault on an officer, throwing bodily fluids at an officer, making terroristic threats during a state of emergency and violations of emergency and temporary acts.
Morales was wanted by Atlantic City Court on a warrant carrying a $350 bail for underage gambling.
Morales was remanded to the Hudson County Jail, South Kearny.
Mines was charged with receiving stolen property, possession of CDS, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of hypodermic syringes. She was wanted by the Richmond, Virginia, police, who declined to seek extradition.
Therefore, Mines was released on her own recognizance with summonses.
- On May 17 at 12:30 p.m., Sgt. Ben Wuelfing was patrolling Passaic Avenue and saw a white Hyundai SUV with heavy front-end damage which he estimated was exceeding the speed limit by quite a bit. The Hyundai turned onto Magnolia Avenue where Sgt. Wuelfing pulled it over after watching it swerve.
Backed up by Officer Chris Montes, Sgt. Wuelfing spoke with driver Shairy Fernandez, 44, of Kearny, who related a tale of an unreported crash in Paterson that allegedly occurred a day prior. An odor of alcoholic beverage on Fernandez’s breath and other signs of impairment led the officers to administer field-sobriety tests, which Fernandez reportedly did not pass.
Despite Officer Montes giving the test instructions in Spanish, Fernandez allegedly asked him three times if he spoke Spanish.
Fernandez was arrested and charged on summonses with drunken driving, careless driving and failure to exhibit an insurance card.
She was later released.
- On May 18 at 12:49 a.m., Officer Bryan San Martin responded to Devon Street between Midland and Oakwood avenues on a report of a man pulling car door handles. On his way there, Officer San Martin saw a man matching the caller’s description running while looking back over his shoulder at Midland Avenue and Forest Street.
The man was Kevin Galladay Jr., 26, of Kearny.
Further investigation identified Galladay as allegedly having tried to enter a black Nissan Altima without permission on Devon Street.
Galladay was arrested and a search of his person revealed a trove of items people typically store in their cars drivers’ licenses belonging to two other people, sunglasses, a pocket knife, an auxiliary cable, a power adapter, ear buds, bank deposit slips belonging to two other people, an empty wallet, $619.46 in cash and coins. Galladay also possessed a flashlight with a glass-breaking tool attached to it.
Galladay was charged with criminal-attempt burglary, possession of burglar’s tools and receiving stolen property.
He was remanded to the county jail.
- On May 19 at 5:26 pm, Dets. Mike Andrews and Dave Bush went to the 100 block of Linden Avenue on a report of narcotics activity in the area. They arrived to find the aroma of burning marijuana emanating from the open windows of a parked grey Lexus occupied by a group of Kearny men — Christopher A. Mohammed, 28; John C. Arboleda, 30; and Almir V. Batista Jr., 25.
Arboleda allegedly turned over to detectives four sealed plastic bags of marijuana. Batista was reportedly found to have a backpack containing two sealed plastic bags and five Ziploc bags of over 50 grams of marijuana. Mohammed possessed a fanny pack that allegedly contained four sealed plastic bags of marijuana. From his rear pants pocket, officers also seized a gravity knife.
Batista was charged on a summons with possession of marijuana over 50 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Arboleda was charged on a summons with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Mohammed was charged on a summons with possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a prohibited weapon.
- On May 20 at 5:30 p.m., Dets. Bush and Andrews were back at it again, this time at Maple Street and Bergen Avenue where they saw a man acting suspiciously in a grey Nissan Maxima.
The detectives approached the vehicle and were enveloped with … you guessed it, the odor of marijuana. In plain view, lying on a black bag on the front seat of the car, they reportedly saw a knotted plastic bag of marijuana and 13 small plastic bags of the drug that appeared packaged for sale.
Driver Ruben C. Whiteneck, 32, of Kearny, was invited out of the car and placed under arrest. Incident to his arrest, detectives reportedly recovered one plastic bag of cocaine from a cigarette box located in Whiteneck’s pants pocket.
Whiteneck was charged on a summons with possession of marijuana, cocaine and drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, intent to distribute marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school and possession of CDS in a vehicle.
He was later released.
