MANALAPAN – Police officers uncovered drugs and charged several individuals with the illegal possession of those substances following a pair of motor vehicle stops in Manalapan during February.
Police said that on Feb. 16 at 5:42 p.m., Patrolman John Lightbody conducted a motor vehicle stop on Hawthorne Avenue after observing a motor vehicle violation. The driver of the vehicle, Kevin Lembke, 24, of Manalapan, was found to be in possession of 25.5 Alprazolam (Xanax) prescription pills without a prescription, under 50 grams of a substance believed to be marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Lembke was arrested and transported to police headquarters where he was processed and released pending a court date. He was also issued motor vehicle summonses, according to police.
Then, on Feb. 19 at 10 a.m., Patrolman Kyle Earley conducted a motor vehicle stop on a 1995 Toyota sedan for an equipment violation on Route 9. The driver, Miguel Serrano, 25, of Somerset, and a passenger, Eunice Natal, 24, of Somerset, were found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia and of controlled dangerous substances believed to be cocaine and marijuana, and charged with those violations.
Serrano and Natal were also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, specifically a prohibited knife, according to police.
Serrano was found to have a suspended driver’s license and had two traffic warrants for his arrest. The first warrant was out of New Brunswick for $600. The second warrant was out of Carteret for $250. Serrano was issued multiple summonses, arrested, processed and placed in the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, on $16,850.00 bail.
Natal was arrested, processed and released. The cases against Serrano and Natal are pending court in Manalapan.
In other incidents reported by police:
• On Feb. 16 at 8:10 a.m., a resident of Manalapan told police that unknown individuals removed the license plates from his vehicle while it was parked in his driveway on Longwood Drive in the Oak Knoll development off Pension Road. The estimated loss is $50.
• On Feb. 17 at 4 p.m., Patrolman Aaron Abeles responded to the Covered Bridge adult community for a report of vandalism. It was determined that sometime between Feb. 14 and Feb. 17, unknown individuals knocked out two plexiglass windows in the covered bridge structure at the Route 9 entrance to the community. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call police at 732-446-4300.
• On Feb. 21 at 11:59 a.m., a resident of Forest Drive told police that sometime between 3 p.m. Feb. 17 and 9 a.m. Feb. 21, unknown individuals entered the rear property of his residence, broke into two sheds and caused damage. The suspects removed property from the sheds and left the area. The value of the missing items is unknown, according to police.
