Upper Saucon Police Blotter

The following incidents have been reported by the Upper Saucon Police Department:

Jospeh Sanchez, 31, was arrested for breaking into student vehicles while under the influence of alcohol at Southern Lehigh High School.

Theft and assault while high on bath salts

Nathan Bergman, 28, was charged with retail theft, simple assault, possession of drug paraphernalia, disorderly conduct and harassment on May 15. According to the criminal complaint, a man, later identified as Bergman, entered Weis Markets and attempted to steal a phone charger. The store manager noticed the theft and confronted Bergman at the front of the store. The store manager informed Bergman that he was calling the police and Bergman attempted to flee the scene. The store manager and an employee attempted to restrain Bergman. The affidavit states, “The suspect [Bergman] continued to fight with and attempted to bite [the store manager], slipping through several items of clothing before fleeing. During the altercation, the suspect dropped hypodermic needles and the aforementioned unpackaged phone charger.”

During the police investigation, Coopersburg police informed Upper Saucon police of a similar incident on May 4 at Giant Foods. Coopersburg police said the incident involved Bergman, who matched witness and surveillance tape descriptions. Ten witnesses positively identified Bergman based on his photograph. Upper Saucon Police interviewed Bergman, who is serving a sentence in Bucks County Prison. Bergman admitted that he attempted to steal a phone charger and fought the store manager. According to the criminal complaint, Bergman admitted to being high on bath salts at the time of the theft and assault.

Failure to cooperate with vice squad

Steven Soto, 19, was charged with possession of a controlled substance on Nov. 10, 2010 after a police search of Soto’s vehicle allegedly revealed a metal marijuana pipe and 24.9 grams of marijuana. Soto’s arrest was initially not made public and Soto was not placed in jail because he agreed to work with the vice unit as an informant. On May 2, vice unit officers charged Soto with failing to cooperate and he was officially charged.

According to the affidavit, Soto’s vehicle was pulled over on westbound Interstate 78 because the arresting officer noticed an illegal black tint on the rear window. The officer noted that Soto was acting suspiciously and a background check revealed a prior arrest for distribution of narcotics.

The criminal complaint alleges that Soto refused to consent to a search of his vehicle, at which time the arresting officer called in Rory, a narcotic detection dog. Rory indicated there were drugs in the vehicle. Soto then consented to a search of his vehicle. In the affidavit, the arresting officer states, “During a manual search of the vehicle [the narcotics officer] located a metal marijuana pipe in the black backpack [in] the rear passenger compartment of the vehicle. I located a black plastic baggy containing an aluminum foil package in the trunk of the vehicle near the spare tire. Inside the foil package was a clear plastic baggy containing suspected marijuana.”

Soto was arrested and the substance tested positive for marijuana. Soto originally expressed interest in working with the police vice unit, and was released from custody pending cooperation. On May 2, however, Soto failed to cooperate with vice unit members, the affidavit states.

Possession of Heroin

Joshua Beers, 19, was arrested on June 13 and charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia when an Upper Saucon police officer allegedly found Beers in possession of heroin. The arresting officer responded to a report of a heroin overdose. Beers was found in possession of numerous packets of heroin and four hypodermic needles.

Shoplifting

Jennifer Munday, 45, was charged on April 19 for two counts of theft. According to the affidavit, Munday entered the CVS in Coopersburg on April 13 and April 19 and shoplifted items. On April 13, Upper Saucon police officers were called to the CVS when the store manager reported a theft. Surveillance footage showed a woman enter the store, take a bottle of water and three printer cartridges, and leave without paying.

On April 19, the criminal complaint states that a woman, identified as the same woman from the previous incident, entered the CVS, printed some photos and left without paying. The store manger followed the woman outside and wrote down her vehicle's license plate number. Upper Saucon police traced the license plate to a Center Valley address. Munday was a resident of the address. According to the affidavit, Munday was contacted and admitted to printing photos without paying for them.

Marijuana Arrests (3 separate incidents)

On June 7, Jordan Reitars, 21, was charged with two counts of delivery and one count of possession of a controlled substance. According to the criminal complaint, Reitars sold a quantity of marijuana to an undercover Upper Saucon police officer. The officer, assigned to the Lehigh County Drug Task Force, exchanged a substance that tested positive for marijuana for a recorded amount of U.S. currency.

Lindsey Richards, 19, was arrested on June 7 and charged with two counts of driving under the influence and one count of possession of a controlled substance. The affidavit alleges that Richards was driving impaired and in possession of marijuana. The arresting officer claims that he pulled Richards' vehicle over after he observed the operator driving recklessly. He states in the affidavit, “As the door opened the odor of burnt and burning marijuana wafted out of the vehicle. Upon smelling the burnt/burning marijuana I illuminated the backseat of the vehicle with my flashlight. I observed a glass smoking device in plain view on the floor of the vehicle.”

Richards and a passenger admitted to smoking the marijuana prior to entering the vehicle. Richards was given a field sobriety test, which she failed, and was placed under arrest.

Sachaa Mims, 19, was charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia on June 13. An Upper Saucon police officer assigned to the Lehigh County Drug Task Force found Mims in possession of a substance that later tested positive for marijuana. Mims also was found in possession of smoking devices.

DUI and Possession of Paraphernalia

Jeffrey Konopaski, 31, was arrested on June 6 and charged with two counts of driving under the influence and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.  State troopers patrolling  Interstate 78 observed a westbound vehicle driving recklessly and over the traffic lines. According to the affidavit, the vehicle was pulled over and the driver, identified as Konopaski, displayed signs of being under the influence of alcohol. Konopaski was asked to perform a field sobriety test and the arresting officers reported that Konopaski was unable to do so. Blood tests revealed that Konopaski’s blood-alcohol content was 0.17 percent (the legal limit is 0.08 percent). A tow-truck operator who impounded Konopaski’s vehicle reported drug paraphernalia in the vehicle.