Princeton Police Blotter: Man Falls Asleep in Stranger’s Car, Copper Pipe Theft at Griggs Farm

Police allegedly observed two men on the first block of Prospect Avenue smoking what looked like a marijuana cigarette just after 11 p.m. on May 4. The two men fled on foot as police approached, and Brett Leibowitz, 22, of Newport Beach, California was caught after a brief foot chase. Leibowitz was charged with possession of and being under the influence of a controlled and dangerous substance, resisting arrest via flight, and eluding municipal police.

During a “Stop Underage Drinkers” investigation around 7 p.m. on May 4, a police officer allegedly observed Obianuju Obioha, 20,  of Potomac, Maryland purchase alcohol from a shop on the 200 block of Nassau Street. When attempting to verify Obioha’s age, the officer was presented with a fake New York driver’s license. Obioha was placed under arrest, was charged with tampering with public records and underage possession of Alcohol, and was released pending a court date.

A driver called police to report that an unknown person was sleeping in the driver’s vehicle just after 8 p.m. May 5. Peter Rogers, 19, of Haverford, Pa.  allegedly was found by police inside the caller’s vehicle, apparently intoxicated. Rogers was placed under arrest and served with a summons. He was later released to a relative.

A driver was stopped by police for a motor vehicle violation  just after 1 a.m. May 5 on Nassau Street near Washington Road. During the stop police allegedly determined that Stephen Browne, 33, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma had consumed alcoholic beverages prior to operating his vehicle. Browne was placed under arrest and was later released to a friend. He was charged with driving while intoxicated  in a school zone.

On May 3 just before 11 p.m., police stopped a driver for a motor vehicle violation on Mercer Street near Lovers Lane. James Heavey, 39, of New York City had allegedly been consuming alcoholic beverages and then operated his vehicle, police said. Heavey was placed under arrest, charged with driving while intoxicated, and later released to a friend.

A maintenance worker for the Griggs Farm development called police just after 9 a.m. on May 2 to report the theft of copper pipe from a facility laundry room on Billie Ellis Lane. The police investigation revealed that approximately 20 feet of pipe was taken, with a sink having been damaged in the process. The cost to replace the items was unknown at the time of the report.