by Ron Marsico The Star-Ledger Monday July 14, 2008, 7:49 PM
An NJ Transit police sergeant was arrested last week after authorities found 4 pounds of marijuana in the back seat of his vehicle in Newark, according to a State Police spokesman.
Sgt. Barrington Williams, 46, was off duty when he was apprehended about 11 p.m. Thursday night at Ivy and Bayard streets, near the Irvington border, State Police Capt. Al Della Fave said. The arrest followed an ongoing investigation, he said.
Troopers with the State Police's "street gang north unit" smelled marijuana coming from Williams' vehicle and observed three plastic bags of the drug in his 1992 Honda Accord, according to Della Fave. Authorities with NJ Transit and the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency assisted on the case, he said.
Neither State Police nor NJ Transit announced the arrest before an inquiry about the matter today from The Star-Ledger.
Della Fave estimated the value of the seized marijuana at approximately $6,400.
Williams was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, illegal possession of a handgun (because he had his service revolver with him during the incident) and official misconduct, Della Fave said. He was jailed before being released on $50,000 bail with a 10 percent cash option.
Penny Bassett Hackett, an NJ Transit spokeswoman, said Williams has been suspended without pay from his $87,000-a-year post. She said he is a 13-year department veteran assigned to the region that includes Hoboken, Jersey City and Secaucus.
The spokeswoman also said the agency police department's Office of Professional Standards assisted State Police on the case.