Police Blotter: Pot Busts, Phone Thefts, Tire Slashers

Possession of Marijuana
At 2 a.m. on Nov. 18, police observed a black Chevrolet with inoperable tag lights traveling south on Route 130. An officer stopped the vehicle and the operator within identified himself as Charles Copling, 27, of Camden. Copling was observed to be driving without his seat belt fastened, and the officer returned to the police cruiser to issue Copling a summons.

Upon returning to the vehicle, the officer then observed, in plain sight, two clear, plastic containers that seemed to have trace amounts of marijuana in them. Copling was removed from the vehicle, and was placed under arrest. A search of his person revealed a clear, plastic box containing what police believed to be marijuana.

Copling was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, served with his summonses and released.

Possession of Marijuana
At 3 p.m. Nov. 20, police at the intersection of Route 130 and Park Ave. observed a beige 1998 Honda Accord operating with a failed brake light. The vehicle was stopped, and the operator was identified as Gordon Thompson-Hampton, 19, of Woodlynne.

The officer on the scene observed that Thompson-Hampton was driving without a safety belt, and further detected a strong odor of raw marijuana emanating from the vehicle. Thompson-Hampton was then instructed to exit the vehicle while a drug dog was called to the location, and read his Miranda rights.

Thompson-Hampton then advised the officer that he was transporting 13 jars of marijuana in a bag under the passenger seat in a bag. He verbally consented to a search of the vehicle, during which the officer retrieved the bag, which contained glass jars of what was believed to be marijuana.

Thompson-Hampton was charged with possession of marijuana (50 grams), possession of a controlled, dangerous substance (CDS) in a motor vehicle, and issued summonses for maintenance of vehicle lamps and failure to wear a seatbelt. He was released on his own recognizance.

Criminal Mischief
Between 6 p.m. Nov. 17 and 11 a.m. Nov. 18, police were dispatched to the unit block of Madison Ave. to investigate a report of criminal mischief. There they met with a resident, all four tires of whose white Lexus had been flattened. The investigating officer observed puncture holes on each of the tires, but police have no suspects at this time.

Criminal Mischief
On Nov. 19, police were called to the 300 block of Haddon Ave. to investigate a report of criminal mischief. The victim indicated that he noticed two vehicles at his service shop had suffered slashed tires between Nov. 17 and Nov. 19: a black 1985 Jaguar and a 1996 Toyota 4Runner. Police have no suspects at this time.

Theft
At 9 p.m. Nov. 21, officers were dispatched to the Collingswood Senior Center to investigate the report of a missing Samsung flip phone. The victim was unsure whether he had lost it on the bus or at the community center, but believed it had been stolen. Police have no leads at this time.

Theft
On Nov. 20, police were dispatched to the 200 block of East Homestead Ave. to investigate a reported theft. A resident of the home had made arrangements to take delivery of a Comcast cable modem; when she retrieved a package from the company on her front porch, however, it was empty.

She was unsure whether the company had sent an empty package by mistake or whether someone had stolen the device and replaced the box. Her report was noted for informational purposes.

Theft
Sometime on Nov. 13, unknown actors removed an iPhone4 from the handbag of a student at Collingswood High School. The alleged theft occurred somewhere within the school. Police were notified November 16, and have no suspects at this time.

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