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Superior Court Susan J. Steele ordered 37-year-old Orlando Hernandez held in the Bergen County Jail pending sentencing on convictions for first-degree drug possession with the intent to distribute it and possession of cocaine.
Sgt. Paul Haggerty was on patrol on Sept. 21, 2015 when he saw a Volkswagen Passat with an improperly displayed temporary New Jersey registration and missing exterior mirror, according to the original police report.
After stopping the vehicle at Rutherford and Delafield avenues, Haggerty smelled burnt marijuana coming from inside it, authorities said.
Hernandez claimed he was headed to a friend’s house but couldn’t provide a name or address, the officer said.
So Haggerty had him get out.
When Hernandez refused to consent to a search, police said, Haggerty requested a Bergen County sheriff’s K-9 unit.
The dog gave two positive indications before Hernandez ultimately agreed to a search of the car, they said.
Police said they arrested him after finding 9.7 ounces of cocaine and a drug scale.
Assistant Bergen County Prosecutors Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Blasi secured the verdicts after Hernandez challenged the arrest, noting that police didn't have dashcams or body cameras at the time.
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ALSO SEE: Two 20-year-old Bronx residents shuffled in and out of a Lyndhurst supermarket, withdrawing $2,800 in twenty-dollar bills using stolen credit cards, until borough police nabbed them -- thanks to an alert cashier, authorities said.
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