PARSIPPANY — The Fairfield Police Department arrested Johnny Sanchez, 31, Lake Hiawatha, 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 Friday, February 7.
At approximately 9:23 p.m., 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 did so.
It is alleged that as the officer approached the vehicle, the driver and lone occupant, identified as Sanchez, took something from the center 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 Fairfield Police 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.
Editor’s Note: An arrest or the signing of a criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
