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Police & Fire
NO PAROLE: Major Trenton Heroin Trafficker Headed To Fed Pen For Plea-Bargained 17 Years NO PAROLE: Major Trenton Heroin Trafficker Headed To Fed Pen For Plea-Bargained 17 Years
NO Parole: Major Trenton Heroin Trafficker Headed To Fed Pen For Plea-Bargained 17 Years A major trafficker who supplied enough heroin to “flood the streets” of Trenton was sentenced to a plea-bargained 17 years in federal prison – all of which he must serve. David Antonio, 32, who was caught with more than three pounds of heroin, admitted being part of a violent, massive distribution network taken down by huge collection of local, county, state and federal law enforcement, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Antonio – also known as “Pop” and “Papi” -- became the 23rd of 26 defendants to take a plea deal in exchange for leniency at sentencing. He and the others must all serve …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Authorities: Central Jersey Party Host, 26, Had Sex With Drunk, Incapacitated Women Authorities: Central Jersey Party Host, 26, Had Sex With Drunk, Incapacitated Women
Authorities: Central Jersey Party Host, 26, Had Sex With Drunk, Incapacitated Women A Mercer County man is accused of having sex with a pair of drunk and incapacitated women during two gatherings he hosted at his house last year, authorities charged Friday. The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office has requested Eridson M. Rodriguez, 26, of Hamilton, detained after his arrest on aggravated assault charges, Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said. Rodriguez was arrested last week for having sex with the 19- and 20-year-old women at his Liberty Street home during parties he hosted in March and May of last year, Onofri said. "The prosecutor’s special victims unit and the Hamilton …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Major Dealer In Violent Trenton Drug Crew Headed To Fed Pen For Plea-Bargained 13 Years Major Dealer In Violent Trenton Drug Crew Headed To Fed Pen For Plea-Bargained 13 Years
Major Dealer In Violent Trenton Drug Crew Headed To Fed Pen For Plea-Bargained 13 Years A confessed member of a violent "war ready" Trenton drug-dealing crew must spend more than 13 years in federal prison for his role in a massive heroin trafficking operation. Omar “Stacks” Council, 41, is the latest of 23 defendants to take guilty pleas in exchange for leniency when he admitted participating in a trafficking network that flooded the streets of the state capital with heroin and other drugs amid shootouts with rival gang members Council -- also known as "Snow" and "Y-O" -- must serve out the entire 160-month plea-bargained sentence because there’s no parole in the federal pris…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJ Child Protection Services Worker, 39, Killed By Stray Drive-By Bullet On Her Front Porch NJ Child Protection Services Worker, 39, Killed By Stray Drive-By Bullet On Her Front Porch
NJ Child Protection Services Worker, 39, Killed By Stray Drive-By Bullet On Her Front Porch A beloved New Jersey Department of Children and Families worker was killed by a stray bullet on her front porch in a drive-by Trenton shooting, authorities said. Vernetta McCray -- who worked in the department for more than a decade -- was bleeding from her head after being shot on the front porch of her Hampton Avenue home around 9 p.m. Friday, officials said. Police had been called to the  300 block of Walnut Street for reports of more than 20 rounds fired, police said. McCray, 39, was taken to the hospital where she was listed in critical condition, and pronounced dead Saturd…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
UPDATE: 3 Suspects In Custody After Stolen Car Crash Injures 6 Trenton Police Officers UPDATE: 3 Suspects In Custody After Stolen Car Crash Injures 6 Trenton Police Officers
Update: 3 Suspects In Custody After Stolen Car Crash Injures 6 Trenton Police Officers UPDATED: Four Trenton police officers were injured including one critically after being shot at during a wild pursuit of a stolen sedan that ended in a major wreck overnight, authorities said. One Trenton police officer remained in critical condition as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to Casey DeBlasio, a spokesperson for the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. A second police officer was hospitalized in serious but stable condition, she said.  One of the stolen car suspects was in critical condition. A second suspect was hospitalized with broken bones. A third suspect and two addit…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Authorities: Leader, Members Of Notorious Trenton Gang Charged In Killing, Police Shooting Authorities: Leader, Members Of Notorious Trenton Gang Charged In Killing, Police Shooting
Authorities: Leader, Members Of Notorious Trenton Gang Charged In Killing, Police Shooting Members of a notorious Trenton gang who controlled a neighborhood drug trade executed a city man, tried to kill a police officer and shot at several other people over a period of several months, state authorities charged. Reputed gangleader Charles Willis, 27, and nine members of his “Get Money Boys” gang are charged with various counts that include murder, attempted murder and conspiracy, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. They were among 16 reputed members and associates of “Get Money Boys,” or “GMB,” who Grewal said sold heroin and cocaine in and around the Oakland Street Apar…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Wife Of Ewing Ex-Police Officer Charged In Newborn's Killing Loses Teaching License Wife Of Ewing Ex-Police Officer Charged In Newborn's Killing Loses Teaching License
Wife Of Ewing Ex-Police Officer Charged In Newborn's Killing Loses Teaching License A former Trenton Kindergarten teacher charged in her newborn's killing -- along with her former-police officer husband -- had her teaching license revoked by the state. Catherine Bannister, 30, of Ewing, had her elementary school teacher's certificate suspended indefinitely on May 14, according to the state Board of Education. Her husband, Daniel Bannister, 32, was indicted on a murder charge while she was indicted on a charge of reckless manslaughter, after the couple's 3-month-old daughter Hailey died in December 2018, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. Both w…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
'Right Thing': Grewal Launches Police Crisis Intervention Training In Paterson, Trenton, AC 'Right Thing': Grewal Launches Police Crisis Intervention Training In Paterson, Trenton, AC
'Right Thing': Grewal Launches Police Crisis Intervention Training In Paterson, Trenton, AC New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Tuesday that he’s committed to establishing statewide crisis intervention training for law enforcement officers at all levels, among several enhancements aimed at “strengthening trust between police officers and the communities they serve.” “Experts agree that one of the most effective ways to reduce police use-of-force and death-in-custody incidents is by expanding the use of Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs), which help officers respond to situations involving individuals with mental health issues,” Grewal said. However, CIT training “is e…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Fugitive Who Shot Trenton Woman Dead Captured In Delaware Prosecutor: Fugitive Who Shot Trenton Woman Dead Captured In Delaware
Prosecutor: Fugitive Who Shot Trenton Woman Dead Captured In Delaware U.S. Marshals early Tuesday captured a Trenton man in Delaware who was wanted for shooting and killing a 24-year-old city woman earlier this month. Authorities charged Quasim Hallett, 39, with murder, among other counts, after members of the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force seized him, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said. Hallett shot Quamierah Massey in the head on Hoffman Avenue in Trenton on April 5, Onofri said. She died the next day. Massey was among a group of people who gathered on Hoffman Avenue to watch a street fight between two women, th…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
'Resilient Minds On Front Lines': NJ Webcast Gives Responders Critical Support During Pandemic 'Resilient Minds On Front Lines': NJ Webcast Gives Responders Critical Support During Pandemic
'Resilient Minds On Front Lines': NJ Webcast Gives Responders Critical Support During Pandemic As if the all the other dangers that first responders face aren't enough, doing so amid the coronavirus pandemic presents additional challenges that a New Jersey webcast launched Monday aims to address. The biggest challenge for law enforcement, for one, is "figuring out what the new normal is, how to protect yourself and how do we get you [the] resources now," state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said during the opening segment of "Resilient Minds on the Front Lines." Organizers are dedicated to providing "tools, knowledge, skills and instruction to assist in a time of need -- to "help…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
WATCH: Video Captures Passaic DEA Raid, 85 Pounds Of Coke, Heroin Seized In Three Busts WATCH: Video Captures Passaic DEA Raid, 85 Pounds Of Coke, Heroin Seized In Three Busts
Watch: Video Captures Passaic DEA Raid, 85 Pounds Of Coke, Heroin Seized In Three Busts Cellphone video captured a DEA raid involving a Passaic man who federal authorities said had more than 13 pounds of cocaine -- part of a much larger drug haul seized in two other locations. Ramon “Rafael” Fabian-Pena, 59, and two accused accomplices from Trenton were taken into custody by DEA agents during the raids, authorities said. A U.S. District Court judge in Newark ordered Thursday that Fabian-Pena remain in custody. Released on bail were Robin Peralta, 37, and Luis Susana-Delossanto, 32. All were charged with possession with the intent to sell large quantities of heroin after agen…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Suspended Ewing Police Officer, Wife Indicted In Beating Death Of Infant Daughter Prosecutor: Suspended Ewing Police Officer, Wife Indicted In Beating Death Of Infant Daughter
Prosecutor: Suspended Ewing Police Officer, Wife Indicted In Beating Death Of Infant Daughter A suspended Ewing Township police officer and his wife charged this year with fatally beating their 3-month-old daughter have both been indicted, authorities said. Daniel Bannister was indicted on a murder charge and Catherine Bannister on a reckless manslaughter charge, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said Friday. The Ewing parents, 31 and 29, respectively, were also charged with child endangerment. Daniel was initially charged with child endangerment but it was later upgraded. Ewing Township EMS responded to the Bannisters' home on a 9-1-1 call for an unresponsive baby having dif…

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by Cecilia Levine