Published: January 05, 2009 10:18 pm      

OPD officer locates 'wet' cigarettes during traffic stop

An Orange man who was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over for traffic violations claimed to be a family member until he found out the other person had warrants for his arrest.

During the booking process, Ronald Lee Hasley claimed to be a relative with a similar name. He was informed the other person had outstanding warrants in West Orange. It was then he continued to state he did not have any warrants in West Orange. He quickly gave officers his “real” name only to find out he too had outstanding warrants.

Officers then pulled prior booking photos of both family members for comparison. It was later determined he was telling the truth— the second time.

According to reports, at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, officer Eric Ellison observed a 1998 Jeep run a stop sign and then stop in the 1400 block of Link Ave. and begin backing up in the roadway. Ellison then initiated a traffic stop.

As Ellison approached the vehicle, he allegedly detected a strong, pungent odor he believed to be phencyclidine, also known as PCP, reportedly coming from the vehicle. While speaking with the passenger, Hasley, he believed he noticed the strong odor of PCP emitting from his person and breath.

The driver, Mattice Levar Lewis, was arrested after he failed to provide a current driver’s license and running a stop sign, according to reports.

After both men were under arrested, they were placed in the back of the patrol car. Lewis reportedly gave consent for Ellison to search his vehicle. During the search, the officer located two cigarettes still in the box, but they allegedly felt wet to the touch. They smelled strongly of PCP and Ellison wrote in his reports, “I believe these cigarettes to be ‘dipped’ in PCP,” according to reports.

Both men denied ownership of the cigarettes. They were then transported to the Orange County Jail, where they were detained by officials.

In addition to Hasley’s outstanding warrant for non-child support payments, he was also charged with failure to identify-fugitive from justice.



Man arrives home to a burglary in progress

An Orange man arrived at his residence about 4:30 p.m. in the 3600 block of Ridgemont Street to discover a man crawling through a 24 by 28 inch kitchen window to escape.

The man reported he was informed of somebody attempting to break into his house. He then went to his residence and entered the house after unlocking the front door. It was then he saw the man going through the window which had been broken with an undetermined object. After getting out the house, the suspect was seen jumping over the fence and fleeing the scene.

The man stated he wished to pursue charges if the suspect is apprehended.



Woman’s wallet stolen as she shops

A 44-year-old woman reported to police she was grocery shopping at Kroger’s on 16th Street when her pink wallet was stolen from her cart.

The woman said she was shopping when a man began to follow her and attempt to speak with her. He reportedly kept telling her he knew her somehow. However, she kept trying to avoid him.

She said she thought the wallet was taken as she bent over the freezer to take items, leaving her cart unattended. Later, she realized she did not have her wallet. The wallet contained assorted credit cards, the woman’s driver’s license, social security card and cash.