Toms River Police Charge Bayville Man With Drug Possession After Incident At Ocean County Mall

A Bayville man is being held in jail on $100,000 bail with no 10 percent option after Toms River police responded to a shoplifting call at the Ocean County Mall Sunday and allegedly found him in possession of heroin.

Police were called at about 5 p.m. to the Sears at the mall where loss prevention officers at the store were holding 27-year-old Christopher Wells on suspicion of stealing power tools valued at $500, according to Police Chief  Michael G. Mastronardy. 

An investigation by Officers Brent Mundy and Robert Burczyk found that Wells allegedly left the store with the tools and began to assault store security, Mastronardy said. Those officers were not injured.

After being placed under arrest, police allegedly found 44 wax envelopes containing a white powder suspected to be heroin, Mastronardy said.

Wells was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and robbery. Superior Court Judge James Blaney set his bail, according to the chief.

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Other activity reported by Toms River police on Sunday includes:

Police charged two Ocean County men with drug possession after a Sunday evening incident during which they attempted to cross a closed checkpoint at the Tunney Bridge.

The men, Brice Montgomery, 41, of Island Heights and Donald Ullery, 31, of Berkeley, approached the checkpoint at the bridge heading to the barrier island which had closed at 5 p.m.

"The suspects approached the officers detailed to the Tunney Bridge checkpoint on foot and seemed under the influence and were denied access," Mastronardy said. 

Montgomery then entered a vehicle and turned around on Douglas Avenue, which meant that he was traveling the wrong way on the street. Toms River Officer Nicholas Franco and a Seaside Heights officer stopped Montgomery and charged him with driving while intoxicated, the chief said.

After being placed under arrest, officers found what they suspected to be heroin in the man's socks while being processed at police headquarters. Montgomery was then charged with possession of narcotics in addition to DWI and other motor vehicle charges before being released with a summons, Mastronardy said. 

Ullery was charged with drug possession and released with a summons, the chief said.