Citizen Spots Men Smoking Pot in Car, Officers Net Over 500 Doses of Heroin in Traffic Stop

Brick Twp. Police car. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Brick police arrested two men on drug charges, outstanding warrants and confiscated more than 500 doses of heroin after a resident reported the men smoking marijuana in a vehicle last week.

The call to police came in at 1:30 p.m. last Wednesday from the Briar Mills condominium development, Sgt. Neal Pedersen said. When officers arrived, they saw the suspect vehicle exit Briar Mills Drive onto Sally Ike Road, and conducted a traffic stop after the driver failed to observe a stop sign, Pedersen said.

As the officers approached the vehicle, they detected a “strong odor of raw and burnt marijuana emanating from the vehicle,” said Pedersen. Officers had the driver of the vehicle, identified as Leon Sarvis, 27, of Eatontown, exit the vehicle at which point it was determined that Sarvis had a bag of marijuana in his pocket along with over $200 in cash.  Sarvis was arrested and placed into a patrol vehicle.

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While Officers were speaking with the passenger, identified as Ronald Walker, 32, of Lakewood, they still detected a strong odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle, Pedersen said. An on-scene investigation led to the detection of various types of drugs as well as outstanding arrest warrants for Walker, who was arrested with a quantity of crack cocaine and approximately $2,000 in cash was found in his pants pocket. Officers also discovered a cardboard box hidden in his pants that contained 571 wax paper folds that contained heroin, said Pedersen.

In all, a search of the vehicle yielded 1 ounce of marijuana, 1 ounce of THC oil extract on a wax paper sheet, butane torches, electronic vaporizer cigarettes containing suspected liquid wax THC oil extract, a digital scale, cigarette rolling papers, spray mace and a gun cleaning kit (however no gun was located).  The vehicle was a rental car and was returned to Enterprise car rental, police said.

Walker was charged with possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of crack cocaine, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute drugs in a school zone and a township park, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Walker also had outstanding arrest warrants totaling $5,004 from Brick, Lakewood, and Neptune municipal courts.

Sarvis was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute drugs in a school zone and a township park, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia.

All of the cash was seized pending forfeiture proceedings, Pedersen said. Bail was set for Walker by Municipal Court Judge Robert Lepore in the amount of $100,000 cash. Sarvis had bail set at $35,000 cash. Both subjects were transported to the Ocean County Jail in lieu of bail.

Neither suspect remained in the Ocean County Jail on Monday. Photos of the two men, both described by police as African American males, were not available.