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Police who subsequently raided the 2½ -story home in the township’s Fardale section Tuesday night ended up arresting him and eight other people.
Members of the strike force found more than two ounces of heroin – the equivalent of nearly 600 folds of the drug -- along with nearly a pound of pot, some Ecstasy and a 9mm handgun with a high-capacity magazine, Capt. Guido Bussinelli said.
They also found several out-of-towners, including a Paterson woman with a 2-year-old child, the captain said on Wednesday.
Brian Neumann was known to police, as they say. He’s still awaiting trial for burglary and gun possession charges stemming from an odd incident last year in which Bloomfield police said Neumann entered a stranger’s home, demanded to use the phone and then left.
His widowed mom, former Mahwah Zoning Board Barbara Neumann, died in January. Brian was left with the house on Dodge Court, which records show was recently valued at just under $1 million, those who know the family said. It reportedly was put up for sale just last week, they said.
Police armed with a search warrant "visited" the neighborhood just off Pulis Avenue near Wyckoff Avenue at 9:45 p.m. Tuesday. After blocking access to the street, they quietly approached.
Once inside, township detectives and members of the Mahwah Police Patrol Services Unit found the drugs, gun and paraphernalia, Bussinelli said.
They also found Barbara Hoskins of Paterson with a 2-year-old youngster, the captain said.
“The appropriate agencies were subsequently contacted regarding the health and well-being of the infant,” he noted.
Police also seized $500 in suspected drug money, Bussinelli said.
Brian Neumann and Hoskins were both released after being charged with child neglect and maintaining a nuisance, the captain said. Hoskins also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, he said.
Sent to the Bergen County Jail were:
- Ojuku Boons, 40, of Passaic, who was charged with various weapons and ammunition offenses, as well as maintaining a nuisance, after police said they caught him with the gun;
- Joshua Torella, 27, of Hewitt, and Laressa Vantassel, 24, of Franklin (Sussex County), who were both charged with drug and drug paraphernalia possession;
- Ashad Winstead, a 31-year-old Englewood resident with a drug-related criminal record who was charged with maintaining a nuisance.
All were awaiting first appearances in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
The others: Carly Vanpelt, of Clifton, was charged with drug possession before being released pending a court appearance. Also released to await hearings were Kristina Ferman of Paterson and Javier Rodriguez of Saddle Brook, who were both charged with maintaining a nuisance.
The search warrant was executed under the supervision of Detective Lt. Kevin Hebert and Detective Sgt. Eric Larsen and included Detective Christopher Fasulo, Detective Timothy Letavish, Officer Luke Rice, Officer Ryan Moore, Officer Connor Gilgen, Officer Thomas Mitchell, Officer Michael Gioiosa and the Mahwah PD Patrol Services Unit (PSU), Bussinelli noted.
The captain also commended the citizens “who came forward with the crime tip information” and encouraged more residents to do the same. Just go to: MahwahPD.org.
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