45°
Sheriff’s Officers Hisham Sheikh and Alexis Mena were returning to the office through the snow after serving a restraining order Friday night when they came upon a Dodge Durango that smashed into a traffic pole in an Essex Street parking lot in Lodi, Sheriff Michael Saudino said this afternoon.
The driver, 52-year-old John Washington Harris of Paterson “appeared to be disoriented,” the sheriff said.
Checking for other passengers, Mena spotted a gray scale on the back seat and “smelled the strong aroma of marijuana coming from the vehicle,” he said.
Questioned about it, Harris pulled a small bag of pot from his pocket, Saudino said.
He then gave the officers consent to search the truck.
They, in turn, summoned K-9 Officer James Schielzo and his dog, Noki — who immediately “gave a positive indication” of some type of contraband, Saudino said.
The officer found four large plastic bags and a small baggie all containing pot in a bucket, he said.
Further investigation revealed a bucket containing four large plastic bags and a small baggie totaling approximately 3 pounds of marijuana.
Harris was being held on $50,000 bail in the Bergen County Jail on drug charges.
U.S. Immigrations & Customs Enforcement also placed a detainer on him, although it wasn’t immediately clear why.
“I commend Officer Sheikh, Officer Mena, K-9 Officer Schielzo and K-9 Noki for the diligence they displayed during Friday’s incident,” Saudino said.
“I’m proud of the way they handled themselves and confident that their professionalism and commitment to service resulted in the removal of these drugs from the streets of Bergen County,” the sheriff said.
MUGSHOT: Bergen County Sheriff’s Office
Click here to follow Daily Voice South Passaic and receive free news updates.
