Princeton Township Police Blotter: Attempted Residential Break-Ins Continue

A resident of the 500 block of Princeton-Kingston Road noticed that the rear garage door had been left open when he went out to his detached garage on the morning of Jan. 17 . The door had been left unlocked overnight. The resident said his car, which had also been unlocked and parked in the garage, had been entered. Key and loose change totaling about $10 were taken from inside the car. No other items were missing. Police are investigating the incident.

Early that same morning, another resident of the 500 block of Princeton-Kingston Road reported an attempted burglary. Police were dispatched to the home at about 3:20 a.m. When they arrived they found a sliding door to the home partially open. The couple reported that they were up in their bedroom when they heard the door slide open. Their dog also barked. They stayed upstairs until police inspected the inside of the home and the outside. There were no other signs that anyone had entered the home. The couple said the door was closed prior to going upstairs. The incident is still under investigation.

Some time between 8 p.m. Jan. 16 and 8 a.m. Jan. 17th, someone attempted a burglary on the 600 block of Princeton-Kingston Road. The resident who reported the burglary said when she entered her garage at 8 a.m., she noticed  two boxes on the garage floor that had previously been stacked under a window. The resident said she also observed that the same window was unlocked. The resident walked around the garage and found a window screen had been removed from the window frame and placed against the garage siding. Nothing was reported missing.

A resident of the 400 block of Prospect Avenue reported a burglary at about 3:30 a.m. on  Jan. 17. She said she woke up to find her purse, car keys and camera missing from inside the house, where she had left them near her front door. The resident said her car was entered but nothing was taken. The estimated value of the property stolen from the house is $230.

A 19-year-old Jefferson Road resident was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle after police observed two suspicious cars in the parking lot at Farmview Fields just after 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 21. Police said when they checked out the Jeep Liberty, they allegedly smelled a strong Marijuana odor in the vehicle. Police said an investigation revealed that the 19-year-old was in possession of Marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He was placed under arrest and transported to the Princeton Township Police Department, where he was processed and later released. The driver and the two other occupants in the vehicle were also issued summonses for violating a local ordinance prohibiting their presence in the park after dusk.

Two cars collided on Bunn Drive just after 9 a.m. on Jan. 20, and one driver was charged with failure to keep right and careless driving. Michael Leach, 20, of Belle Mead was driving his Toyota Camry northbound on Bunn Drive when he crossed over into the oncoming lane and struck a Volvo driven by Princeton resident David Vankin, 38, of Tupelo Row. Both vehicles were towed from the scene due to the extensive damage. A passenger in Vankin’s Volvo complained of neck and back pain and was taken to the University Medical Center at Princeton.

A police officer stopped a mini-van on Mercer Road in Jan. 20 for allegedly having expired inspection sticker. Police said the owner of the vehicle, 32-year-old Denali Charres of Lawrence, who was in the passenger seat, had an active warrant out of Princeton Township Municipal Court in the amount of $300. Police said the person driving the mini-van, Daniel Salazar-Tafurt, 42, of Lawrence, also had an active warrant out of the Princeton Township Municipal Court in the amount of $190. Both men were placed under arrest and taken to the police department. They were both unable to post bail and were subsequently
released on their own recognizance and provided a court date. Salazar-Tafurt was also issued a motor vehicle summons for having an expired vehicle inspection.

Patrols were dispatched to the Princeton Behavioral Health at 741 Mt. Lucas Road at about 12:30 p.m. Jan. 11 in response to a report of a suspicious male who appeared to be looking into and attempting to open vehicles in the parking lot. Police said the man, Jesse F. Gonzalez of Trenton, denied entering or attempting to enter vehicles. Gonzalez, 23, had several items on him including an iPod car charger he said were his. A check of the surrounding area did not reveal any forced entry into any vehicles and no items had been reported stolen at the time of the call. But police said a check of the NCIC system revealed that Gonzalez had an active warrant out for his arrest from Trenton Municipal Court in the amount of $200. Gonzalez was placed under arrest and transported to headquarters, where he was subsequently released after posting bail. Several hours later, an individual reported having an iPod charger stolen from his parked vehicle at 741 Mt. Lucas Road. Gonzalez was subsequently charged with theft, receiving stolen property, and tampering with evidence.

At some point between Dec. 20 and Jan. 2, items went missing from a construction site on Shadybrook Lane, according to a report filed with police. Two boxes containing 35 residential locks and door knobs with an oil-rubbed bronze finish were removed from the site. The estimated value of the locks was $375.

On Jan. 2, a resident of Sycamore Lane reported that he was woken up at 1 a.m. that morning by a noise coming from his dining room. He told police that when he went downstairs to investigate, he found that his dining room window was open and the screen had been removed. The resident said that he felt that no one had entered the house, so he locked the window and went back to bed.