ENGLISHTOWN – A bomb threat targeting the headquarters of the Freehold Regional High School District on Pine Street in Englishtown turned out to be unfounded on Aug. 16.
Lt. Peter S. Cooke Jr., the officer in charge of the Englishtown Police Department, said Patrolman Michael Makwinski responded to a bomb threat at the district’s administrative offices with assistance from Officer Kevin Romano after receiving a call from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Cooke said Makwinski and a district employee secured the building and did not find anything out of the ordinary. The building was deemed to be safe. The threat was considered to be a hoax and the person who made the threat was found to be mentally ill by the Los Angeles police, according to Cooke.
Cooke reported on other incidents from July and August.
On July 26, a man was being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility, Newark, on an active Englishtown Municipal Court Automated Traffic System (ATS) warrant in the amount of $2,000. Romano responded and transported the man to the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, on bail default.
On July 27, Patrolman Adam Liotta and Patrolman Ryan Carideo investigated a vehicle they deemed to be suspicious because it was occupied in a parking lot of a closed convenience store. The occupants of the vehicle were a man who attempted to urinate alongside the building and two female juveniles.
A search of the vehicle, which was prompted by the officers detecting an odor of marijuana, resulted in Liotta and Carideo discovering less than 50 grams of marijuana and several pieces of drug paraphernalia. The man and the two females were charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The driver of the vehicle was one of the female juveniles and she was also charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) in a motor vehicle, failure to change her address on her driver’s license, operating a vehicle after hours on a Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) and failure to adhere to passenger restrictions on a GDL.
Under state law, a driver with a GDL is not permitted to operate a vehicle between 11:01 p.m. and 5 a.m. and is only allowed to have one additional passenger, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
The three occupants of the vehicle were processed and released.
Also on July 27, Liotta responded to Ocean County because a man was being detained by the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department on an active Englishtown Municipal Court Automated Complaint System (ACS) warrant in the amount of $1,176. Liotta transported the man to the Monmouth County jail on bail default.
Police returned to Ocean County on July 29 when a man was detained by the Lakewood Police Department on an active Englishtown Municipal Court ACS warrant in the amount of $1,222. Officer Todd Hardifer transported the man to the Monmouth County jail on bail default.
On Aug. 5, Hardifer conducted a motor vehicle stop when he observed a woman using a cell phone while operating a vehicle. He subsequently observed marijuana on and around the vehicle’s center console area. After the woman acknowledged there were two partially smoked marijuana cigarettes in the console, she was arrested by Hardifer with the assistance of Makwinski, and charged with possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana and operating a vehicle while using a cell phone.
On Aug. 10, a man turned himself in to police on an active Englishtown Municipal Court ATS warrant in the amount of $195. Officer Katelyn Kwiecinski handled the incident. The man was processed and released, pending a new court date.
On Aug. 10, Kwiecinski responded to Ocean County for a woman who was being detained by the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department on an active Englishtown Municipal Court ATS warrant in the amount of $1,000. Kwiecinski transported the woman to the Monmouth County jail, where she was lodged on bail default.
Another man turned himself in at the police station on Aug. 10 on two active Englishtown Municipal Court ATS warrants in the amount of $464. After being arrested by Liotta, the man was processed and released on bail, pending a new court date.
On Aug. 12, Hardifer conducted a motor vehicle stop and found less than 50 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Police said Hardifer searched the vehicle after he detected the odor of marijuana while conversing with the male driver. The man was charged with possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and operating a motor vehicle without a valid registration.
On Aug. 15, Makwinski received a complaint of a stolen vehicle from a location at which the accused woman was a resident. The woman was last seen driving away by her daughter and was believed to be traveling to Long Branch or Freehold Borough. The woman was located in Freehold Borough by that town’s officers. Makwinski arrested the woman with the assistance of Kwiecinski and the Freehold Borough Police Department. The woman was placed in the Monmouth County jail on a warrant. Makwinski took possession of the vehicle and returned it to its owner.
On Aug. 20, Romano conducted a motor vehicle stop on a vehicle that was being operated without a front license plate and without an inspection sticker. Police said Romano detected the odor of alcohol coming from the male driver. A series of tests was conducted and the man was subsequently charged with driving under the influence, DUI in a school zone, failure to have a front license plate on his vehicle, reckless driving, failing to inspect a motor vehicle and failing to exhibit a driver’s license.
On Aug. 22, a man with an active Manalapan Municipal Court ATS warrant in the amount of $164 was arrested by Kwiecinski during a motor vehicle stop. The man posted bail on the Manalapan charges and received a summons from Englishtown police for driving a vehicle with unclear license plates.
On Aug. 23, Carideo stopped a vehicle because it had a non-functioning brake light. He searched the vehicle after detecting the odor of marijuana and observing the male driver exhibiting signs of impairment. The man was charged with possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance. He received summonses for possession of a controlled dangerous substance in motor vehicle, driving a vehicle with a brake light out, operating a vehicle after hours on a Graduated Driver’s License and failing to have a GDL decal on his vehicle.
