This week’s police blotter contains three arrests that recently occurred in Montgomery Township.
Synthetic Marijuana Arrest #1
Joseph Burgos, 29, of Allentown (pictured left), was arrested in Montgomery Township on April 20 on a felony charge of possession with intent to distribute, as well as misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to the criminal complaint, Burgos was pulled over in the area of Bethlehem Pike and Horsham Road at 1:06 a.m. due to an inoperable passenger-side tail light. The report states that police could smell marijuana emanating from the vehicle, and the subsequent search allegedly uncovered 70 bags of a synthetic narcotic identified as “K2.” Total weight of the synthetic marijuana was 1.94 pounds, according to the report.
“The use of synthetic marijuana is extremely dangerous, and can result in serious health problems due to its unregulated synthetic chemical components,” said Montgomery Township Police Chief Scott Bendig. “As for our department, we do [encounter] it with some varying frequency.”
Burgos was arraigned on April 20, and was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post $50,000 cash bail. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy on May 9.
Synthetic Marijuana Arrest #2
Franklin Robinson, 48, of Allentown (pictured right), was arrested in Montgomery Township on April 24 on a felony charge of possession with intent to distribute, as well as misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to the criminal complaint, Robinson was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over in the area of Bethlehem Pike and Upper State Road at 12:17 a.m. due to an inoperable driver-side headlight. A search of the vehicle uncovered 30 black zip-lock bags that each contained approximately 14 grams of synthetic marijuana, along with one clear sandwich bag containing 14 grams of synthetic marijuana and another containing 28 grams of synthetic marijuana, the report states.
Police also discovered $448.48 in cash.
Robinson was arraigned on April 24, and was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post $10,000 cash bail. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy on May 7.
Intoxicated Man Allegedly Threatens Police, Floods Holding Cell
Montgomery Township Police have announced the arrest of 35-year-old Edward Magliente (no image), on charges of terroristic threats, public drunkenness, criminal mischief and institutional vandalism following a domestic incident that occurred on April 9.
According to the criminal complaint, Maliente was detained around 5 p.m. following the initial incident, at which time he allegedly confessed to consuming “three quarters of a fifth.” He was then placed under arrest for public drunkenness. Magliente was then transported to the Montgomery Township Police Department, where he was given a portable breath test which reported his blood-alcohol-content to be .184 percent, the report states.
Once Magliente was placed into the holding cell, he allegedly shoved an entire roll of toilet paper into the toilet, causing it to clog and overflow, according to the report. The report also states that Magliente proceeded to verbally threaten police and others while he was inside the cell.
“As far as the cell issue, this does happen on occasion, unfortunately,” said Chief Scott Bendig, of the Montgomery Township Police Department. “The damage issue comes with getting the cell back in service. Thankfully, the cells have drains in the center to mitigate flooding.”
Magliente—who has no fixed address—was arraigned on April 9 by Magisterial District Judge Patty Zaffarano, who set bail at $1,000 cash. He was then remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post bail. His next scheduled court appearance is a preliminary hearing on May 6 at 1:45 p.m. in front of Magisterial District judge Andrea Duffy.
(Editor's note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)
See also:
Violent Home Invasion Leaves One Injured In Hilltown
Long Island Man Arrested For Having Sex with Underage Girl in Hilltown
Hatfield Man Faces Felony Workers’ Comp Fraud Charges
North Wales Woman Arrested On Felony Forgery, Theft Charges
Three Men Charged In Assault Of Elderly Man In Lansdale (UPDATED)
