A disoriented New York couple were arrested with heroin, illegal prescription pills, hypodermic needles, and $530,000 in suspected drug proceeds in a duffle bag – FREE TO GO hours later under NJ Bail Reform
Mahwah, NJ – A concerned citizen reported a disoriented couple parked at a fast food restaurant in Mahwah – which then led to the arrest of two upstate New York residents.
Daniel Martel, 34, of Otisville, and Tracey Harris, 30, of Bloomingburg, were taken into custody after a search of their car turned up heroin, hypodermic needles, burglary tools, drug paraphernalia, and other valuables taken during several recent area car break-ins.
During a search warrant executed in their hotel room, police discovered a duffel bag with $530,000 in suspected drug cash “wrapped in a manner that would be consistent with drug trafficking,” stolen goods, and Xanax, Lorazepam, and Suboxone.
Just hours later, the couple were released and FREE TO GO under NJ Bail Reform after the Arnold Foundation’s “Pretrial Risk Assessment” tool determined they were not a danger to the community or a flight risk and therefore should not be subject to any accountable release – just a “promise” to appear.
The release is yet another example of the thousands of unaccountable and FREE TO GO pretrial releases of those criminally charged under the NJ Bail Reform Act.
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More “validated pretrial risk assessment” Failures.
New Jersey Bail Reform, Risk Assessments, and Pretrial Release Services…
ZERO Accountability
ZERO Deterrent
ZERO Supervision
ZERO concern for victims
ZERO Bail…just a “pinky promise” to return
Bail Reform – Dangerous, Reckless, and a Taxpayer Burden
RELATED:
Mahwah PD: Upstate NY Couple Had $530,000 Drug Cash In Route 17 Hotel Room
(reported by Jerry DeMarco of the Daily Voice – May 7 2018)
A Hudson Valley couple had $530,000 in suspected drug money in their Route 17 hotel room, along with some heroin and illegal prescription pills, said Mahwah police who seized the cash and drugs while arresting them.
Alerted by a concerned citizen to a disoriented couple, Sgt. Michael Blondin and Officer William Hunt found 34-year-old Daniel Martel of Otisville and Tracey Harris, 30, of Bloomingburg in a car at a southbound fast food restaurant, Police Chief James Batelli said.
A search of their car turned up heroin, hypodermic needles and drug paraphernalia — along with burglary tools and valuables taken during several recent area car break-ins, the chief said.
“During conversations with the two there were a number of inconsistencies in their story,” Batelli said.
So detectives obtained a search warrant for their hotel room, he said.
They ended up finding a duffel bag with the cash “wrapped in a manner that would be consistent with drug trafficking,” the chief said.
They also found more heroin and stolen goods, along with Xanax, Lorazepam and Suboxone, he said.
You’re being lied to…
Unaccountable pretrial release is reckless and dangerous – with zero regard for victims or criminal accountability.