Police blotter
The following was provided by police unless otherwise noted.
Trenton
Fatal Overdose: Police found a dead man in Cadwalader Park Monday afternoon but there was no signs of foul play. Investigators believe the 56-year-old man died of a drug overdose. He was discovered unresponsive around 3 p.m. Paramedics tried unsuccessfully to revive the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Middlesex coroner will perform an autopsy to confirm the cause and manner of death. Police said they discovered “evidence” at the scene that seemed to indicate the man died of an overdose, but a spokesman wouldn’t say exactly what investigators found. Pot Bust: Naquan Davis, 26, was arrested by officers patrolling Prospect Street saw a vehicle with its license plate obstructed. They pulled it over and found Davis with a black digital scale as he reached into the glove compartment. He was driving on a suspended license and ordered out of the vehicle. Officers smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle. Davis had pot in his pants pocket as well as two bags in the car.
Mount Holly
Killer Admits Guilt: A Lumberton man admitted killing an acquaintance in 2016 and burying the body in his backyard. Bryan Costello, 26, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in a deal with prosecutors that calls for him to serve 15years in state prison. Costello admitted killing 23-year-old Justin Dubois by clubbing him with a baseball bat and burying the body in the backyard of Costello’s family home on Spencer Court. Costello got help from his brother, Christopher, 29, who was convicted last month of hindering and desecration of human remains. He faces a retrial for aggravated manslaughter in July. The investigation began as a missing persons case when one of Dubois’ relatives told police she hadn’t heard from him. Investigators grew suspicious after they saw an area of recently tilled soil at the Costellos’ home. The area was excavated leading to the grisly discovery. Fatal Crash Indictment: Jacob Garrett, 25, was indicted on charges of vehicular homicide, and leaving the scene of a fatal crash that killed his girlfriend. The charges were partly based on toxicology tests performed on blood taken from Garrett following the Jan. 14crash that claimed 23-year-old Stephanie White, of Burlington City. Witnesses said Garrett shouted at them, “Help my girlfriend,” before running from the crash scene. A police dog tracked Garrett to the light rail platform on West Broad Street. Police stopped the train and arrested Garrett, who is accused of driving at a high rate of speed along Riverbank Road and striking a parked minivan. He bowled through a fence and his car broke through the ice, then sunk into the Delaware River. White had to be extracted from the submerged vehicle as her seat belt was still on. She died at a hospital, and an autopsy determined her death was caused by drowning and hypothermia.
Florence
Attempted Murder: Two men were charged for their alleged involvement in a shooting last year, cops said. The shooting happened on Alden Avenue when Michael A. Craig II, 23, of Trenton, and 25-year-old Nyfeis Lighty, of Philadelphia, went to the victim’s house to rob him. The pair face numerous charges, including attempted murder and robbery. Craig and Lighty are accused of entering the back door of the home May 28, 2017 and pistol-whipping someone inside. They ordered others to duct tape each other’s hands. A neighbor heard the commotion and confronted the men while they stole from the victim’s home. As the men fled, chased by the neighbor, Craig turned around and fired in the direction of the neighbor, police said, as Lighty let off a round into the air. Lightly is jailed in Philadelphia on an unrelated charge and will be extradited while Craig is locked up on an unrelated charge.