Police Blotter
This information was provided by police unless otherwise noted
Trenton
Saved By Service Dog: Jamere Caldwell, 30 and Kaheem Carter, 20 were arrested and charged with robbery following a home invasion Thursday morning. Cops were flagged down by the female caller. She told cops that someone came into the house and shot her dog. When cops arrived at the home on the 100 block of Walnut Avenue they ran into a second victim who had a laceration to his forehead; Carter was on the ground in the fetal position. The male victim told cops that Carter rushed into his residence, put a gun to the female victim’s head but was thwarted when the service dog attacked Carter. During the melee, Carter pistolwhipped the male victim in the head. He and Caldwell apparently fled the home but returned. The male victim told cops he believed they were back to “finish the job.” It wasn’t clear what Caldwell’s role was in the robbery, but both were locked up. The dog was killed in the home invasion, but no animal cruelty charges have yet been filed against the suspects.
Got Rocks?: Samuel Vincent, 44, and Dana Harris, 37, were arrested together on Thursday near Chambers Street. Street crime detectives were conducting an undercover operation when they saw Vincent leaning on a house. An undercover cop asked Vincent for $20 “worth of rock.” Vincent motioned to Harris, who went into an alley to get the crack cocaine. The drugs were exchanged for the $20, and once that happened, the cops moved in and arrested both men. Detectives recovered $1,606 in cash, seized as illicit proceeds, along with 37 grams of crack cocaine, seven hollow-point bullets and a digital scale.
Pot and Pills: Rontae Worthen, 23, was nabbed on the 500 block of Clinton Avenue for allegedly selling drugs to Dezirae Covington, 22. Covington was found with pot during a motor vehicle stop. Worthen was found with Percocet pills and $200 in cash, seized as illicit proceeds. Cops also seized 127 grams of pot. Worthen was charged with drug distribution charges, while Covington was just charged with drug possession.
Hamilton Township
Fatal Crash: A 53-year-old man was killed Thursday after losing control and crashing his car near Lawrence Station Road in the township. Police have identified the driver as Michael McCoy, of Hamilton. McCoy was traveling eastbound on Youngs Road near Lawrence Station road when he lost control of his 2001 Honda Civic and struck a 2008 Lexus driven by a 47-year-old woman from Trenton. McCoy was pronounced dead at the scene. An underaged passenger in McCoy’s vehicle and the 47-year-old Trenton woman were taken to Capital Health where they were treated for their injuries. The crash is being investigated by Officer Jeff Galant. Witnesses to the crash are asked to call the Hamilton Police Traffic Unit at 609-581-4000. Information may also be left anonymously on the Hamilton Police Crime Tip Hotline at 609-5814008
Lumberton
Child Porn: Jeffrey Degroff, 58, of Lumberton, was hit with seven counts of child endangerment after authorities discovered him with a cache of child porn, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said. He is accused of possessing and distributing child porn through a digital file-sharing program. Among the nasty files was a video of a man engaged in sexual activity with a prepubescent girl. The high-tech crimes unit began investigating Degroff earlier this year after getting tipped off that of his alleged online activities by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Degroff is accused of using the digital file-sharing program to download pornography for his use. He would then make it available for others to access from his devices, the authorities said. Degroff
was taken into custody at his residence on Dec. 14 after authorities executed a search warrant, seizing cell phones, a computer, and an external hard drive. Multiple child porn files were discovered by a forensic analysis of the devices. Degroff’s case is set to go before a grand jury for indictment.