Tag:

Methamphetamine

‘Call Me Daddy' Creepy Church Leader, Soccer Coach Raped Girl Before Kidnapping Her To Mexico ‘Call Me Daddy' Creepy Church Leader, Soccer Coach Raped Girl Before Kidnapping Her To Mexico
‘Call Me Daddy' Creepy Church Leader, Soccer Coach Raped Girl Before Kidnapping Her To Mexico Kevin Esterly — the Pennsylvania man who ran off to Mexico with a teenage girl in 2018 — has now been convicted of repeatedly raping the same victim when she was a child, prosecutors announced on Wednesday, March 5. The disturbing allegations first emerged when the victim came forward to police in February 2025, saying Esterly had sexually abused her for years, beginning when she was a child. A jury convicted Esterly, now 53, of rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and endangering the welfare of children following a trial that began with jury selection on …
NJ Fugitive Who Trafficked Meth Busted In California: AG NJ Fugitive Who Trafficked Meth Busted In California: AG
NJ Fugitive Who Trafficked Meth Busted In California: AG A 33-year-old Absecon man and one of New Jersey's Most Wanted was arrested in California, authorities announced Thursday, Dec. 11. Jordan Ragland was arrested in Sacramento in September by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Task Force, with assistance from the New Jersey State Police Fugitive Unit, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Ragland was wanted for maintaining a controlled dangerous substance production facility, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, unlawful possession of an assault firearm, and unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol, Platkin said.…
DRUG BUST: 121 Pounds Of Marijuana, LSD, Meth Seized In NJ Raid, Cops Say DRUG BUST: 121 Pounds Of Marijuana, LSD, Meth Seized In NJ Raid, Cops Say
Drug Bust: 121 Pounds Of Marijuana, LSD, Meth Seized In NJ Raid, Cops Say Six people are facing charges after police seized large quantities of drugs — including marijuana, LSD, methamphetamine, and cocaine — from a New Jersey home, authorities said. The Sunday, Aug. 25 search warrant was carried out by detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, along with multiple law enforcement agencies, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. The search turned up approximately 121 pounds of marijuana, 100 pounds of THC products, 75 pounds of cannabis concentrate, seven sheets of LSD, two pounds of methamphetamine, 20 pounds of…
Police Chief, Marine, Dad In Federal Prison For Meth Pleads Guilty In Mushrooms Tampering Case Police Chief, Marine, Dad In Federal Prison For Meth Pleads Guilty In Mushrooms Tampering Case
Police Chief, Marine, Dad In Federal Prison For Meth Pleads Guilty In Mushrooms Tampering Case A father, Marine veteran, and former police chief in Pennsylvania already serving federal prison time for meth trafficking has now pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in a case tied to missing mushrooms, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli announced on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. Former Greensburg Police Chief Shawn Denning pleaded guilty to three counts of tampering with evidence before Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart, according to the DA’s office. Judge Stewart sentenced Denning to one year of probation. The case stems from a February 2023 audit of the Greensburg…
Meth, Cocaine, Guns: NJ Man Arrested After Traffic Stop, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Says Meth, Cocaine, Guns: NJ Man Arrested After Traffic Stop, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Says
Meth, Cocaine, Guns: NJ Man Arrested After Traffic Stop, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Says A 55-year-old Alexandria man was arrested and charged with firearms and narcotics offenses following an arrest during a traffic stop, authorities announced Friday, Aug. 1. On Monday, July 14, Scott Hopkins’ vehicle was pulled over, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée Robeson said. During the stop, Hopkins was in possession of cocaine, Robeson said. Search warrants were subsequently issued for Hopkins, his vehicle, and his residence, Robeson said. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of methamphetamine, a Ruff Ryders Bag containing eleven 12-gauge shotgun shells, and one Smith and Wess…
Cocaine, Meth, Fentanyl, Firearms: 14 People Charged In South Jersey Trafficking Ring Cocaine, Meth, Fentanyl, Firearms: 14 People Charged In South Jersey Trafficking Ring
Cocaine, Meth, Fentanyl, Firearms: 14 People Charged In South Jersey Trafficking Ring Fourteen people have been charged with weapons offenses for their roles in a South Jersey drug trafficking organization, authorities announced Thursday, July 17. Ryan Collins, the leader of the group and a Crips gang member, is charged with being the leader of a narcotics trafficking network, distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine, and promoting organized street crime, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. The 33-year-old Vineland resident also faces weapons offenses involving two assault firearms, a handgun, and large-capacity magazines, as well as charges stemming from the sale of fe…
Rooftop Chase, NJ Fugitive, Switch Guns: PA AG Sunday’s Philly Task Force Nabs 7 Armed Felons Rooftop Chase, NJ Fugitive, Switch Guns: PA AG Sunday’s Philly Task Force Nabs 7 Armed Felons
Rooftop Chase, NJ Fugitive, Switch Guns: PA AG Sunday’s Philly Task Force Nabs 7 Armed Felons A violent felon chased across a North Philly rooftop. A wanted man tied to New Jersey. Teens flaunting illegal machine gun-modified pistols on social media. All arrested in a wave of takedowns led by Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday’s Philadelphia Gun Violence Task Force, officials announced Tuesday, July 15. Philly Gun Task Force Targets Repeat Offenders Seven people — including convicted shooters and suspected drug traffickers — were recently arrested in coordinated raids across Philadelphia, state prosecutors said. The cases involve illegal switches that convert pistols into fu…
22 Grams Of Heroin, 6 Handguns, 24 Arrests: Prosecutor Announces Massive NJ Drug Bust 22 Grams Of Heroin, 6 Handguns, 24 Arrests: Prosecutor Announces Massive NJ Drug Bust
22 Grams Of Heroin, 6 Handguns, 24 Arrests: Prosecutor Announces Massive NJ Drug Bust A drug raid in Union County on Thursday, May 29, resulted in the arrest of 24 people and the seizure of illegal drugs, firearms and money, authorities said. Numerous police departments and SWAT teams participated in the raid, which involved 14 search warrants throughout North Jersey,  Union County Prosecutor William  Daniel and Linden Police Chief David Hart said. The raids were part of a comprehensive investigation by the Union County Intelligence and Narcotics Division and the Linden Police Department Narcotics Bureau targeting a drug distribution networ…
Meth, Coke: Duo Arrested During Traffic Stop, Mount Olive Police Say Meth, Coke: Duo Arrested During Traffic Stop, Mount Olive Police Say
Meth, Coke: Duo Arrested During Traffic Stop, Mount Olive Police Say Two people were arrested after a traffic stop turned up various drugs in Mount Olive on Thursday, May 15, authorities said. At 10:56 a.m., an officer observed a black Nissan on Route 46 West with a damaged windshield that failed to signal when changing lanes, Mount Olive police said. While speaking with the occupants, the officer detected behavior consistent with criminal activity, police said. A search of the car revealed large amounts of narcotics including methamphetamine, cocaine, GHB, and multiple prescription, Mount Olive police said. Drug paraphernalia and a brass knuckle knife wer…
Route 3 Hotel Horror: Man Held Hostage By Pair With Hypodermic Needle For Hours, Cops Say Route 3 Hotel Horror: Man Held Hostage By Pair With Hypodermic Needle For Hours, Cops Say
Route 3 Hotel Horror: Man Held Hostage By Pair With Hypodermic Needle For Hours, Cops Say A man was allegedly held against his will inside a Secaucus motel room for more than two hours while one of his captors blocked the door with a hypodermic needle, police said. Officers responded to the Rodeway Inn on Route 3 East on Sunday, March 2, at 3:19 p.m., after receiving a report of a victim being held hostage inside a room, according to Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller. When police arrived, they found the man inside and immediately removed him to safety while detaining two men at the scene, authorities said. Investigators determined that Kevin Bazemore, 44, of Hackensack, physi…
Ghost Guns, Meth, Firearm Seized From Pair In Ocean County Raid: AG Ghost Guns, Meth, Firearm Seized From Pair In Ocean County Raid: AG
Ghost Guns, Meth, Firearm Seized From Pair In Ocean County Raid: AG Two Ocean County residents are facing charges following a raid on Wednesday, Feb. 19 that turned up numerous ghost guns and methamphetamine, authorities said. Law enforcement conducted search warrants at multiple locations and recovered and seized, guns, including guns with no serial number- "ghost guns," extended magazines, and a quantity of methamphetamine, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. The defendants, George Garulle, 56, of Beachwood, and Dana Restaino, 39, of Whiting, conspired to sell a defaced firearm with no serial number, Platkin said. They were charge…
Violent NJ Human Trafficking Rings Dismantled Where Women, Teens Were Forced Into Sex: AG Violent NJ Human Trafficking Rings Dismantled Where Women, Teens Were Forced Into Sex: AG
Violent NJ Human Trafficking Rings Dismantled Where Women, Teens Were Forced Into Sex: AG Seven people have been arrested in the dismantling two human trafficking rings, one in North Jersey and one in South Jersey, authorities said. The rings were based in Essex County and Cumberland County, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin said at a news conference on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Khailah Meekins, 21 and Donte Barkley, 28, both Newark residents, trafficked two 15-year-olds and a 13-year-old in Essex County, Platkin said. Meekins and Barkley arranged sexual encounters for the girls through mobile apps that included online ads featuring nude photos of the minors. The girls would be…
NJ Police Sergeant Tests Positive For Meth, Took Drugs From Evidence Room: Prosecutor NJ Police Sergeant Tests Positive For Meth, Took Drugs From Evidence Room: Prosecutor
NJ Police Sergeant Tests Positive For Meth, Took Drugs From Evidence Room: Prosecutor A police sergeant in Hammonton is facing multiple charges after testing positive for methamphetamine and taking drugs from the department's evidence room, authorities said. Detective Sergeant Robert Zbikowski, 45, of Hammonton, was charged on Monday, Nov. 25, with second-degree official misconduct, second-degree pattern of official misconduct, third-degree theft by unlawful taking, and two fourth-degree charges: tampering with physical evidence and obstruction of law, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office. In 2024, the Hammonton Police Department contacted the Atlantic County…
Byram Man Gets 13 Years After Violating Probation: Sussex County Prosecutor Byram Man Gets 13 Years After Violating Probation: Sussex County Prosecutor
Byram Man Gets 13 Years After Violating Probation: Sussex County Prosecutor A 55-year-old Byram Township man was sentenced to 13 years in state prison on Friday, Nov. 8, after admitting he violated his recovery court probation, authorities said. Steven Kristiansen will receive credit for almost four years already served, Sussex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said. Kristiansen had previously been sentenced to recovery court probation in connection with multiple counts of burglary and theft stemming from incidents in 2020 and 2021, Murray said. He admitted to violating the terms of his probation on Sunday, November 3, 2023, Murray said. Kristiansen's state prison …
Man Driving Porsche Possessed Heroin, Meth: Denville PD Man Driving Porsche Possessed Heroin, Meth: Denville PD
Man Driving Porsche Possessed Heroin, Meth: Denville PD A 38-year-old man was arrested and charged on Saturday, Oct. 26, after he was discovered to be in possession of heroin and methamphetamine in Denville, authorities said. Officers responded to the Sunoco gas station at 161 Route 46 for a report of a man, later identified as Shekeab Shroff, in a silver Porsche impaired, Denville police said. Officers observed the driver pulling out onto Route 46 and soon arrested him for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Shroff was discovered to be in possession of heroin and methamphetamine, police said. He was charged with possession of …
Wanted Man Who Flagged Down PA Officer For Ride Found With Meth: Police Wanted Man Who Flagged Down PA Officer For Ride Found With Meth: Police
Wanted Man Who Flagged Down PA Officer For Ride Found With Meth: Police A man wanted for assault in New Jersey was found with methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia while walking in Pennsylvania, police said. Richard Parsons, who records show had an active warrant out of Greenwich Township, NJ (unclear if Warren County or Cumberland County), flagged down police for a ride Easton Road in Lower Saucon, PA around 3:15 a.m. on Sept. 19, authorities said. Police learned Parsons, of Perkasie, had been wanted and then found him to be in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, police in Lower Saucon said. Parsons was charged with aggravated assault for c…
Former Flemington Councilman Gets Four Years For Distributing Cocaine: Prosecutor Former Flemington Councilman Gets Four Years For Distributing Cocaine: Prosecutor
Former Flemington Councilman Gets Four Years For Distributing Cocaine: Prosecutor A former councilman in Flemington was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday, Sept. 20 after pleading guilty to distributing cocaine, authorities said. Malik Johnston a.k.a. Pippin Folk has faced numerous legal problems. In April, Johnston, 47, was indicted for theft for stealing $1,000 from the Flemington Democratic Club's bank account at a branch in Bridgewater, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée Robeson said. The theft charges were dismissed after Johnson paid restitution, Robeson said. Johnston was originally arrested last October while he was still serving on the town council…
PA Man Faces Additional Charges After Pursuit Leads To Death Of Hackettstown Motorcyclist PA Man Faces Additional Charges After Pursuit Leads To Death Of Hackettstown Motorcyclist
PA Man Faces Additional Charges After Pursuit Leads To Death Of Hackettstown Motorcyclist A 32-year-old Pennsylvania man is facing new drug charges after a police pursuit led to the death of a motorcyclist, a Vietnam War veteran, in Warren County on Tuesday, Aug. 13, authorities said. At 10:19 a.m., a New Jersey State Trooper began following an SUV on Route 80 eastbound and initiated a traffic stop, the Warren County Prosecutor's Office said. The driver of the SUV, Sean Mamakas, a Kempton, PA resident, continued traveling eastbound, exiting the interstate at Exit 12 and headed toward County Road 521 southbound in Hope Township, authorities said. The SUV then collided with the…
NJ Women Drugged With Meth-Infused Tequila, Sexually Assaulted By 'Sugar Daddy,' Complaint Says NJ Women Drugged With Meth-Infused Tequila, Sexually Assaulted By 'Sugar Daddy,' Complaint Says
NJ Women Drugged With Meth-Infused Tequila, Sexually Assaulted By 'Sugar Daddy,' Complaint Says A newly obtained criminal complaint details how a 40-year-old Pennsylvania man drugged and sexually assaulted six women during their dates from hell at his home. All of the women, including two from New Jersey, met Andrew Gallo, of Levittown, PA on sugardaddymeet.com. Gallo appeared to have followed the exact same playbook, police papers show: He'd brag about his bartending skills then pour them a drink from open bottles and hop in the shower shower. When he got out, he'd give the women a tour of his home, telling them how he rebuilt it after a fire. It was somewhere around this point …
PA Man Accused Of Drugging, Assaulting Women He Met On Sugar Daddy Site, DA Says PA Man Accused Of Drugging, Assaulting Women He Met On Sugar Daddy Site, DA Says
PA Man Accused Of Drugging, Assaulting Women He Met On Sugar Daddy Site, DA Says At least six women are known to have been sexually assaulted after going out with a man they met on an online dating site who ended up drugging them, District Attorney Jennifer Schorn and Bristol Township Police Chief Robert Coulton announced on Wednesday, Sept. 11.  Andrew Gallo, 40, of Copper Beech Lane, Bristol Township, was charged with five counts of rape by causing impairment, six counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, four counts of strangulation, two counts of selling or furnishing liquor or malt or brewed beverage to minors, and one count each of s…
Two Busted For Drugs After 'Nodding Off' In Vehicle: Denville PD Two Busted For Drugs After 'Nodding Off' In Vehicle: Denville PD
Two Busted For Drugs After 'Nodding Off' In Vehicle: Denville PD Two people were arrested and charged with drug possession after being found sleeping inside a vehicle in the parking lot of a supermarket in Denville on Sunday, Sept. 1, authorities said. Officers responded to the parking lot of the ACME Supermarket at 125 Main St. and found a vehicle with its engine running, door open and two occupants "nodding off," Denville police said. Inside the vehicle, police  said they found  multiple containers containing methamphetamine, multiple bundles of heroin, a glass pipe, and drug paraphernalia found on scene. William Churchwell, a 42-year-old New…
Former Flemington Councilman Pleads Guilty To Distributing Cocaine: Prosecutor Former Flemington Councilman Pleads Guilty To Distributing Cocaine: Prosecutor
Former Flemington Councilman Pleads Guilty To Distributing Cocaine: Prosecutor A former councilman in Flemington pleaded guilty to distributing cocaine on Wednesday, June 19 and faces up to five years in prison as part of his plea agreement, authorities said. Malik Johnston a.k.a. Pippin Folk has faced numerous legal problems over the past year. In April, Johnston, 47, was indicted for theft for stealing $1,000 from the club's bank account at a branch in Bridgewater, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée  Robeson said.  At the time of the transaction, Johnston was a former officer of the club and did not have permission to make the cash withdrawal and keep …