Fairfield (NJ) The Fairfield Police Department announce the arrest of Johnny Sanchez (31) of Lake Hiawatha, N.J. on charges of tampering with evidence, possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of drug paraphernalia on February 7, 2020.
On that date, at approximately 9:23 PM, Officer Jesse Schnackenberg was monitoring traffic on Route 46 West when he observed a 2012 gray Toyota allegedly traveling west at 67 mph in a 50 mph zone. The officer caught up to the vehicle and attempted to stop it by activating his emergency lights and siren but the vehicle continued to drive west into Montville. It is further alleged that the Toyota then pulled into the McDonalds drive thru lane, at which time, the officer directed the vehicle to pull into a parking spot using his vehicle’s public address system. The vehicle finally pulled into a space.
It is alleged that as the officer was approaching the vehicle the driver and lone occupant, identified as Sanchez, took something from the middle console and put it in his mouth. It is further alleged that when the officer got to the vehicle, he observed small, leafy particles on his lips and also detected a strong odor of raw marijuana coming from the vehicle. At this point, other officers arrived as back up.
Sanchez was asked to exit his vehicle and when he did, it is alleged that he attempted to discard suspected marijuana. He was then placed under arrest. Further investigation revealed the discovery of plastic bags containing suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Sanchez was transported to headquarters for processing. In addition to the criminal charges he also received traffic summonses for failure to comply with an officers direction, careless driving, possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle and
failure to yield to an emergency vehicle. He was released on his own recognizance pending a court appearance date of April 1, 2020.
(It should be noted that the charges against Sanchez are merely allegations and that he is presumed innocent until he either pleads guilty or is found guilty in a court of law)
Authorized by: Chief Anthony Manna
