Crime

Four new township police officers were sworn in at the May 27 Township Council meeting. All of the officers have prior experience, a decision that Police Chief Lawrence Roberts said was made to save the cost of sending new recruits to the Somerset County Police Academy. The new officers will be assigned to patrol duty, Roberts said. Kevin Frizzioloa has seven years’ …

May 22 A car driven by Kendall Sasser of Franklin Park scraped a post near a gas pump at a Route 27 gas station. Police said he turned too closely to the pump. § Herinson Rodriguez of New Brunswick was cited for driving without a license, careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident after the car he was …

  [wpgmappity id=”12″] The 19-year-old Somerset man who was killed May 22 after he was involved in a head-on automobile accident on Cedar Grove Lane was remembered by a former principal as being well-liked and quiet. Kevin Maskall was killed shortly before 9 p.m. when the car he was driving crashed head-on into another auto. Two Somerset residents in the other …

Two men – including one from Somerset – were arrested May 21 on drug-related charges after they were found with more than $80,000 in illegal narcotics, police said. Eric Smith, 26, of Hamilton Street and Andrew Rupnarain, 23, of East Brunswick were nabbed by members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force and the Franklin Township …

Township residents can now follow Franklin police on Facebook and Twitter. The department established presences on these social media sites on May 14, according to a press release. Police Chief Lawrence Roberts believes that this will allow the police to have better interface with the community,” according to the release. “Through the use of social media tools, we will be …

Township police officer Robert Brown found himself in a fight for his life on Aug. 13, 2013 when a burglary suspect nearly shot and killed him. The two were involved in a violent struggle at the rear of St. Matthias Church on John F. Kennedy Boulevard after Brown stopped the man, later identified as Archie L. Ashley, because Ashley fit …

May 16 An Almond Drive resident went to his car to find that someone had stolen its rims and tires, leaving the car on two wooden logs, police said. The items were valued at $1,400. § Someone threw a boulder through the windshield of a car owned by a Hawthorne Drive resident. The damage was valued at $300. § Bowling …

A gold colored BMX bicycle belonging to a Hamilton Street resident was reported stolen. The bike was valued at $87. § A car driven by Robert Griggs of Kendall Park was stopped in traffic in the parking lot of 3331 Route 27 when it was struck in the rear by a car driven by Sandeep Dharmavaramkottan of Franklin Park. Dharmavaramkottan …

UPDATED: Lt. Darrin Russo sent along this picture of Team Franklin after they finished the tour.         Several hundred police officers from around the country – including 16 from Franklin Township – set off early in the morning of May 10 on the annual Police Unity Tour bike ride to Washington, D.C. The tour is a fundraiser …

May 2 A car owned by Brigitt Stokes of Holly Street was struck early in the morning while it was parked outside her home, she told police. The driver of the other car fled the scene. § Cars driven by neil Orkin of Hillsborough and Miguel Zara of Somerset collided on Franklin Boulevard, when Orkin’s car was crossing the road …