HCPO stays mum about Weehawken cop investigation
Around the same time last month that a Weehawken police officer apparently tried to commit suicide, an investigation was beginning into potential criminal activity on his part, according to officials.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office (HCPO) confirmed last week that an investigation into Sgt. Patrick Cannon, a 22-year veteran with the Weehawken Police Department, is “active and ongoing” but would not confirm any further details about the investigation. It has been reported in other media that the investigation is into alleged “financial irregularities” regarding Cannon’s work as a police officer.
According to officials, Cannon has been suspended without pay since May 6.
Cannon, who resides in Rochelle Park, apparently attempted suicide on April 29 by ingesting a cocktail of over-the-counter medications. He was found breathing, but in and out of consciousness, after a five-hour search at Campgaw Mountain by more than 40 law enforcement officers.
The day before that, according to Weehawken Director of Public Safety Jeff Welz, Welz’s office began the investigation into Cannon’s activities when Welz received information that showed “potential criminal activity.” Within a day, the matter was transferred to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.
It was around that time that Cannon apparently tried to harm himself.
Cannon was released from the hospital last week.
Welz said the Police Department is cooperating and providing information to the HCPO for the investigation.
In other police news:
North Bergen man arrested for alleged DWI
21-year-old Mark Benavides of North Bergen was arrested and charged with DWI in Weehawken on April 30 at 2:50 a.m., according to police.
Benavides was pulled over by an officer on patrol after the officer observed him allegedly driving erratically on Boulevard East near 49th Street.
Allegedly running red light leads to DWI arrest
Luis Alexander Lazo, 38, of West New York was arrested and charged with DWI on May 1 at 4:50 a.m. after an officer on patrol observed him allegedly running a red light.
Police said that when the officer approached the car, he noticed that Lazo allegedly had the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath.
According to a police report, Lazo allegedly admitted that he had three drinks and the officer then conducted a series of sobriety tests, which Lazo allegedly failed.
During the arrest, the officer also allegedly found a plastic bottle that Lazo allegedly admitted contained vodka.
Didn’t take anything
According to police, at noon on April 30, the alarm went off at a business located on Hackensack Plank Road.
When police arrived on the scene, they saw Walter Grooms, 64, of Hoboken allegedly in the building. They said he had no business in the building and could not explain his reason for being there.
Grooms was arrested and charged with burglary.
A 10-foot extension ladder and aluminum ramp were stolen from the loading area of the same business earlier in the month by a different man who was later caught.
Woman catches alleged thief in the act
Lucian Figueroa, 26, of Weehawken and Wander Torres, 20, of Weehawken were arrested and charged with burglary after a woman caught one of them allegedly inside her vehicle, according to a police report.
According to the report, on April 30 at 8 p.m., a woman dining at a Mexican restaurant on Boulevard East came out of the restaurant and saw a man inside of her 2007 Lexus, parked on 46th Street, and another man standing outside of it looking around.
The woman went back inside the restaurant and called the police. When police arrived they were able to apprehend the suspects based on the description the woman provided.
Police said there were no signs of forced entry into the car. No stolen items were found on either of the men.
Stove taken, replaced with washing machine
A tenant on Maple Street reported that an unknown person entered her apartment and removed her stove, replacing it with a washing machine, which was located in another area of the apartment.
According to a police report, there were no signs of forced entry. Police said the woman is currently involved with an ongoing dispute with her landlord and believes the appliance swap may be related to that matter.
Cinco de Mayo gone sour
According to police, a dispute during a Cinco de Mayo celebration at a restaurant at Lincoln Harbor escalated and led to one man getting hit in the head with a beer bottle.
According to a police report, at approximately 1 a.m. on May 6, words were exchanged between two groups on the outdoor patio of the restaurant after individuals bumped into each other near the bar area.
The dispute then escalated into a fight. According to police, a 21-year-old man reported he was hit in the head with a beer bottle.
The man could not identify who hit him and did not file a complaint.
‘Outta’rondacks on Bellevue Ave.
According to police, sometime between 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on May 9, lawn furniture was stolen from a yard on Bellevue Avenue.
The resident of that property reported that someone entered her yard through an unlocked gate and stole two Adirondack chairs and a table. The total value of the items stolen was $100.
Plastic dresser stolen from car
On May 9, a Delaware woman reported that someone entered her unlocked car, which had been parked on Duer Place, sometime between 1 a.m. and 6 p.m.
According to a police report, the woman reported that a plastic dresser, valued at $100, was stolen from the vehicle.
***SIDEBAR***
Weehawken police commended by FBI for bank robber arrest
The Weehawken Police Department (WPD) received commendation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) upon the arrest of Augusto Perez on April 29.
Perez, 60, of North Bergen is charged with the robbery of a TD Bank on Park Avenue in February. The arrest came after a joint investigation between WPD detectives and investigators from the FBI Newark field office.
According to police, Perez entered the TD Bank on Feb. 28, calmly waited his turn, and walked up to the teller brandishing a handgun.
He got away with $6,700 total – $4,000 of which came from a customer who was in the process of making a deposit.
The robbery was captured on surveillance video and during the ensuing investigation Perez’s face was plastered on billboards on Routes 495 and 80.
There was also an initial attempt to make an arrest on March 18, when investigators discovered the man had fled to Florida.
Sgt. Ignacio “Iggy” Mitolo said the ultimately successful arrest on April 29 was the result of a combination of sophisticated investigation techniques and “good old-fashioned police work.”
Mitolo commended the lead detectives on the case – Thomas White and Thomas Glacken –as well as the patrol division, which secured the scene on the day of the crime.