CLINTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Hunterdon County) — A Phillipsburg man was arrested last month after police found him asleep in his vehicle outside a Clinton Township gas station and uncovered suspected narcotics, a weapon, and drug paraphernalia, according to Clinton Township Police Chief Thomas A. DeRosa.
Sean M. Simoes, 31, was taken into custody on June 5 after an officer conducting a routine business check at a local gas station observed a red Chevrolet Blazer idling in the parking lot for an extended period. When the officer approached the vehicle, Simoes was found asleep in the driver’s seat, reclined.
Police said Simoes showed signs of narcotics use. He declined to allow a vehicle search, prompting a K-9 officer and K-9 Tapko to perform a free-air sniff of the vehicle’s exterior. Tapko alerted to the odor of narcotics, giving police probable cause to search the SUV.
Inside the vehicle, officers said they recovered a collapsible baton, 12 green jugs containing suspected crack cocaine residue, an empty heroin wax fold, and two ripped plastic baggies.
Simoes was charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of controlled dangerous substances (CDS), and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also issued motor vehicle summonses for CDS possession in a motor vehicle, idling, having an open container of alcohol or unsealed cannabis, and not having a vehicle registration in possession.
He was assigned a court date at Hunterdon County Superior Court.
