Office of the Sheriff

UNDERSHERIFFS DENNIS R. McMANIMON CAROL E. WALTON ASSISTANT TO THE SHERIFF CATHLEEN G. GARTON

JOHN A. KEMLER
ACTING SHERIFF

MERCER COUNTY CIVIL COURT HOUSE 175 SOUTH BROAD STREET P.O. Box 8068 TRENTON, NEW JERSEY 08650-0068 TELEPHONE: (609) 989-6100 FAX: (609) 989-6185

CHIEF SHERIFF'S OFFICER RICHARD S. PIOTROWSKI, JR CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER JAMES H. KOSTOPLIS

August 5, 2011 MERCER MOST WANTED NABBED, ALONG WITH NINE OTHERS. GUNS, DRUGS SEIZED Mercer County acting Sheriff Jack Kemler announces the arrest of Mercer County fugitive Aziz Stroman, along with nine others, for gun possession and CDS offenses.

On Tuesday, August 2, 2011, detectives from the Mercer County Sheriffs Office and US Marshals Service - NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, arrested Mercer County Most Wanted, Aziz Stroman. Stroman - 22, had been wanted since October 2010, and was featured as Mercers Most Wanted in January of this year due to his failure to appear in Superior Court for sentencing in relation to CDS charges.

The arrests were carried out after information obtained by Detective William Perez of the Mercer County Sheriffs Office indicated Stroman was known to frequent an address in the first block of Sanhican Dr., Trenton, NJ. Detectives proceeded to the address, and upon making contact with the occupants of the residence, a voice was heard from within yelling, SHERIFFS. Immediately
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thereafter, a male exited a third floor window and attempted to flee on the rooftops. Detectives were able to identify the individual as Stroman and gave chase. During the course of the pursuit, entry was made into the residence were detectives observed nine people inside, along with a handgun and a single bullet on the floor of a bedroom. After securing the occupants and gun, which was found to be a Maverick 9mm handgun with a defaced serial number, detectives also observed a second gun and suspected heroin packaged for street level dealing. Detectives then secured the residence, and based on their observations, made application for a search warrant for the residence . Subsequent to a search warrant being granted by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Hurd, detectives conducted a search of the residence. Detectives utilized two Sheriffs Office canines trained in scent detection for both explosives and drugs, and based on their responses, additional contraband was located. Charges for all ten occupants of the residence included: 2 counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, 2 counts of possession of a weapon during a CDS offense, 2 counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Possession of hollow point bullets, Possession of a defaced firearm, Possession of CDS heroin, Possession of CDS heroin with the intent to distribute, Possession of CDS heroin with the intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public park, Possession of CDS crack cocaine, Possession of CDs marijuana,

In explaining why all the occupants were charged similarly, Sheriff Kemler stated, Several factors figured into it. Most importantly, most of the items found were readily accessible to all the occupants within the residence. Also, during the search there was an inability to identify an owner or legal tenant of the residence with any certainty. And finally, no one took ownership of any of the property, Total property seized: - 456 decks of heroin - Omega 100 .22 caliber, 6-shot revolver loaded with hollow point bullets - Eight additional hollow point bullets - A small amount of suspected marijuana, crack/cocaine and a small amount of loose heroin - 1 Maverick Forearms JS-9MM handgun with defaced serial number - 1 Speer 9MM luger bullet - $639 in US currency.

Stroman, who was captured on the rooftop of an adjoining house, was additionally charged with Resisting Arrest by Flight and Certain Persons not to Possess Firearms. Both guns will be sent to NJSP for ballistics testing, along with an attempt to restore the defaced serial number. ADULT ARRESTEES: Quamyre Claridy (12-4-89), 1400 block of S. Broad Street, Trenton, NJ Irvin Jackson (6-10-89), 700 block of Edgewood Avenue, Trenton, NJ Gregory Leary (1-19-90), 200 block of Jackson St, Trenton, NJ Quaree Singletary (10-19-91), Unit block of Evans Avenue, Trenton, NJ Courtney Stafford (5-22-93), 2200 block of Country Lane, Ewing, NJ Jaquan Wade (9-29-90), Unit block of Elmhurst Avenue, Trenton, NJ Michelle Washington (2-4-92), Unit block of Beakes Street, Trenton, NJ Additionally, two 17 year-old male juveniles were arrested, and were lodged in the Middlesex County Youth Facility. All eight adults were remanded to the Mercer County Detention Center.

William Osterman Public Information Officer Mercer County Sheriffs Office 609-989-6132 (Office) 609-847-1231 (Cell) wosterman@mercercounty.org