Intoxicated Bedminster Local Punches Man In Nose, Arrested: Blotter

BEDMINSTER, NJ — A Bedminster man was arrested following an altercation at the Fresh Market in town, according to the police blotter.

On July 30 at approximately 7 p.m., Bedminster Police responded to Fresh Market (35 Washington Valley Road) for a disorderly persons call.

Upon arrival the officer was met by Gary Morgunov, Oleg Morgunov and the victim, Vitaliy Poltarakov. Poltarakov was bleeding from the nose which appeared to be broken.

The victim advised while unloading a vehicle from his trailer for the Morgunovs they were approached by an individual who was highly intoxicated. The male identified as, Michael Fitton, started to become very confrontational, yelling and telling them they couldn’t unload vehicles in the parking lot, according to the police blotter.

The parties ignored him realizing he was highly intoxicated. As the victim was operating the controls on the side of the truck, Fitton punched him with a closed fist in the face, resulting in the broken bloody nose, according to the police blotter.

Michael Fitton, 58, of Larkspurt Court in Bedminster was arrested for simple assault.

Other Bedminster Police blotter items:

Property Damage

On July 26 at approximately 12:49 p.m.: Bedminster Police responded to Lumi Zi (252 Somerville Rd.) for a report of property damage. Upon arrival the officer made contact with the manager who advised it appeared as though a vehicle struck one of the 4x4 beams that supports the outside deck in the back parking lot. The manager advised that on Saturday night when the restaurant was closed the beam was intact. The manager requested this be made a matter of record.

Suspicious Incident

On July 26 at approximately 12:57 p.m.: Bedminster Police were advised of an issue with the sidewalks on Parkside Road. The officer responded and made contact with the complainant who is a resident. He informed the officer that the building association is replacing all of the sidewalks in the Parkside Association. The complainant advised the officer that he believed anywhere from 90-97% of the sidewalks do not need replacing. He also advised that some of the sidewalks are cracked, but the association should replace sections, not the entire thing. The resident felt strongly that this was a financial kickback to the association. The resident did not have proof of this. The officer spoke with the contact for Parkside Housing Association who advised that replacing all of the sidewalks was part of a Capital Improvement Project that had been planned for some time due to tripping hazards that were becoming worse over time.

DUI

On July 26 at 5:46 p.m.: Bedminster Police responded to the area of 586 Burnt Mills Road for a report of a truck vs. pole motor vehicle accident with airbag deployment. Upon arriving the officer observed a gray GMC pickup truck partially off the roadway against a utility pole. The driver advised he was not injured. Subsequent to the investigation, Jonathan Calabrese, 42 of Sharon Springs, N.Y. was arrested for driving under the influence and issued motor vehicle summonses for driving while suspended, unregistered motor vehicle, careless driving, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, failure to produce registration card, uninsured motor vehicle), failure to produce proof of insurance, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, and open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Criminal Mischief

On July 27 at 12:30 p.m.: While at Bedminster School for an unrelated incident, Bedminster Police was approached by the Superintendent who advised that during the first week of July a rear second floor classroom window was broken. One of the custodians observed the window broken when cleaning the classroom. The officer walked around to the rear of the school and observed the first window of six of a second floor classroom to have a hole and several splinter cracks off of the hole. The window appeared to have been struck by a rock or golf ball of some sort. The incident was documented.

Warrant Arrest

On July 28 at approximately 8:23 a.m.: Bedminster Police responded to a motor vehicle accident at Rte 202/206 and Washing Valley Road. Upon investigation one of the drivers involved was found to have a warrant out of Bedminster. Michael Herring, age 44 of Long Valley was arrested on a Bedminster Township traffic warrant for failure to appear for $500. Herring was unable to post and was released on his own recognizance with a new court date. Herring was also issued motor vehicle summonses for careless driving and driving while suspended.

Suspicious Incident

On July 28 at approximately 3:16 p.m.: A Bedminster resident responded to police headquarters to report that she had met a man on Facebook and had started communications with him via the international phone number of 447709189121. The man stated he was a 2 Star General in the U.S. Army by the name of Wayne Morgan Bryan. The resident started to become suspicious of the male when he started to talk about how he wanted to send her a million dollars in US cash while he was in Syria right now. The man then sent her pictures of the money. The resident stated when she began to question the male about the money and facts about him the communication ceased. The resident stated she was not defrauded in any way, but only wished to report the incident because the male was impersonating a U.S. Army 2 Star General for what she believed was a scam.

DUI

On July 29 at 1:39 p.m.: Bedminster Police were stopped at the intersection of Burnt Mills Road and Route 202/206 at a red light waiting to make a left hand turn onto Rte 202/206 North. The officer observed a white Acura TSX approach his location in the center lane of travel and stop behind the patrol vehicle even though there was no one directly in front of the Acura. The vehicle remained stationary when the light turned green for an extended period of time. The officer then observed the vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed East on Washington Valley Road. The vehicle was stopped on Evergreen Drive. Subsequent to the investigation, Richard Howe 3rd, 20 of Evergreen Drive in Basking Ridge was arrested for driving under the influence and issued motor vehicle summonses for reckless driving, driving without insurance, failure to exhibit documents, driving under the influence in a school zone, underage driver under the influence, and mirrors required on every motor vehicle.

Suspicious Incident

On July 30 at approximately 8:39 p.m.: A resident of Bentley Court called 9-1- 1 to report a possible burglary attempt to her house. The resident provided a description of a white male actor and direction of travel. The officers responded to the area and located, Erick Hiott, age 40 of Raritan who advised he had gone to Bentley Court when he was looking for Ashley Court. Hiott provided his credentials from a dog walking company and a work order for the residence on Ashley Court. The complainant was advised of same.

(Image via Shutterstock)

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.