Dog Chase: West Windsor police and animal control spent much of March 30 attempting to capture a Rottweiler that was sprinting on and off Route 1 South near Carnegie Center. Police received calls all day, but were unable to locate the dog until 2:30 p.m. when it was spotted in a field off Route 1 by a man who tried to help the dog, but was bitten twice. The dog hid in nearby bushes and was eventually captured by Animal Control Officer Bettina Roed, left, and Officer Mike Pitts. The dog was taken to a nearby animal hospital.
Fire Destroys Home. An early morning fire that destroyed a house recently purchased on Brians Way in West Windsor appears to have been accidental.
The fire at 25 Brians Way was reported by a neighbor around 5:21 a.m. on March 21, said West Windsor Police Lieutenant Brian Melnick. Both the West Windsor and Princeton Junction fire companies responded with help from Plainsboro, East Windsor, Hightstown, and Robbinsville fire departments. First aid squads from both West Windsor and East Windsor also responded, said Melnick.
“Upon arrival, the front two levels were fully engulfed in flames,” said Melnick. “The officers went around the perimeter to look for possible people inside,” but found that the home was unoccupied at the time.
Once the fire was extinguished, fire marshal Jim Yates, the West Windsor Detective Bureau, and the Mercer County Arson Unit arrived on scene. “It appeared the fire originated from the front part of the house,” said Melnick. ‘There was some work for a pending home sale being done on the hardwood floors. The investigators, at this point, haven’t found anything suspicious.”
Melnick said the new homeowners had purchased the house but had not yet moved in.
“The last person in the house had been resurfacing the hardwood floors and left around midnight,” he said. “It appears that the fire was started where a belt sander that was used for the floors was being stored overnight. They were also using polyurethane and stains for the floor. It does appear accidental at this point.”
Shoplifting. William J. Kolikia, 47, of Tabernacle was charged March 24 with shoplifting at Wegmans. Officer Michael Pitts said store employees saw him selecting items from store shelves and placing them into a shopping car. He attempted to push the cart with food items, worth a total $124.71, into the parking lot without paying.
Criminal Michief. Someone removed a shell from the trailer at the Finn Casperson Center on South Post Road, belonging to Princeton National Rowing Association, and caused $12,500 worth of damage to it, said Officer Brian Mahon. The mischief happened between March 27 and 28.
Police discovered that someone spray-painted graffiti on decorative pavers inside West Windsor Community Park sometime on March 28, said Officer Brian Mahon.
Drug Arrests. A 17-year-old West Windsor resident was charged March 26 with possession of marijuana under 50 grams. Sergeant Tom Moody said he saw a truck leaving a construction site on North Post Road around 10:52 p.m., thought it was suspicious given the time, and stopped him. When he stopped the truck, he found five juveniles in the truck, including the driver, and that one of them had marijuana. The driver was issued a summons for exceeding the number of passengers while driving with a provisional license.
DWI. Nicole Barrial, 23, of Plainsboro was charged March 24 with driving while intoxicated. Officer Kyle Brown said he stopped her on Route 1 near Harrison Street for speeding and found she was intoxicated. He said he also found her to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana. She was also charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams.
Ankur K. Garg, 24, of Lawrenceville, was charged March 25 with driving while intoxicated. Sergent Matthew Kemp said he stopped him for speeding on Route 1 south near Meadow Road and found him to be intoxicated.
