Knives, gun mag, drugs seized, four charged in Jackson middle-of-night melee

JACKSON - A probe of a Wednesday predawn car crash ends with four suspects under arrest, and drugs and weapons seized.

Larry Crippen, 19, of Jackson, is charged with possession of marijuana, tampering with evidence for allegedly eating some of the weed while struggling with an arresting officer, obstruction, resisting arrest, possession of prohibited weapons and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose.

Leyron Jones, 20, of Toms River, is charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute, and obstruction.

Christian Grimes, 19, and Steven McNeill, 24, both of Jackson, are charged with obstruciton and resisting arrest. McNeill also faces a disorderly conduct count.

Police said that the report of the crash arrived at about 2:48 AM Wednesday. Officer Keith French was dispatched to North Point Drive and Eltone Road.

French reportedly sawa 2005 Nissan that had crunched a metal gate and cement barrier fronting the Metedeconk Naitonal Golf Club, and two men walking from the area, one holding a license plate that belonged on the car. The pair ignored several commands to return to the scene, police said.

The officer moved to handcuff one, while a third indiidual, who French recognized from a previous run-in, rushed into the area of Trumball Court and began a high-volume, agitated rant, police said.

With one man in cuffs, French called for backup as the other two closed in on him, one spewing a tension-filled tirade with clenched fists, struggling as French brought him to the ground and placed him, writhing, in handcuffs, according to authorities.

Officers Phil Minissale and Wes Thomason arrived and apprehended the third individual, while the first one to be handcuffed again tried to leave, police said, alleging that he tried to attack Thomason through the shackles by jutting his head and elbows and kicking his feet toward the officer.

Police said that the man originally placed in handcuffs had an empy magazine for what appeared to be a .380 caliber handgun, while the one who scuffled with police had a butterfly-style knife and a folding knife, and the remaining individual had a knife, several Xanax two-milligram tablets packaged for dealing, and more than $400 cash. . A search of the area and car yielded no gun.

Officers Shannon Foote, Michael Goelz and Sergeant Michael Friedman, searching for the gun, came face to face with three more men outside a nearby house. One began to scream at officers searching for the gun, kicking the garage door and refusing to identify himself, then trying to resist attempts to take him into custody, police said.

Crippen and Jones were sent to the Ocean County Jail in Toms River. Grimes and McNeill were released on summonses to await court dates.

Charges are accusations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless, and until, found guilty in a court of law.