Police: Call from Tipster Leads to Drug Arrest

A call to police by a concerned citizen lead to the arrest of a man police say was selling drugs in the Manahan Village complex late last month.

Morristown Police received a call in the afternoon on Oct. 20 from an unidentified resident stating Dante Weber, of Newark, was in the Manahan Village complex neighborhood selling heroin, according to a police incident report.

Morristown Officer Brett Smith—who noted in his incident report having arrested Weber "numerous times" before for drug offenses—pulled over his unmarked police vehicle on Martin Luther King Avenue shortly before 4 p.m. and approached Weber on foot, according to the report.

When Weber saw Smith and another officer approaching, he immediately stated, "What's up, Brett, been a long time," according to the report.

Smith advised Weber of the phone call police had received, to which Weber replied, "I'm done with all that, Brett," according to the report. Smith said in his report, however, that Weber was shaking uncontrollably during this conversation, and that his lips were quivering.

During the conversation, Weber was wearing his sweatpants extremely low, exposing the waistband of his boxer shorts, where a plastic baggy was being held, according to the report. Smith said in his report that this had been the same area drugs had been found on Weber in previous arrests.

As Smith began to ask Weber about the baggy, Weber attempted to run across Martin Luther King Avenue, according to the report. Smith and the other officer were able to grab Weber before he crossed the street and told him he was under arrest, according to the report.

The officers were then able to get Weber on the ground, but Weber resisted by swinging his legs and arms, striking the officers multiple times, according to the report. Weber then stopped swinging but laid on his arms and would not allow the officers to place him in handcuffs, police said. Additional officers were then called in and were able to place Weber under arrest.

Smith removed the baggy from Weber's waistband, and found it contained 20 vials of what was suspected to be heroin, according to the report. Smith also found another baggy on Weber, which contained what was believed to be cocaine, the report states. Weber also was carrying $62, according to the report.

Once at Morristown Police headquarters, Weber said he was having trouble breathing and was transported by to , where he was immediately cleared and brought back to the police station, according to the report.

In addition to being charged with possession and distributing a controlled dangerous substance, Weber was charged with aggravated assault on law enforcement and resisting arrest, according to the report. Bail was set at $100,000 cash, and Weber was transported to the Morris County Correctional Facility.

For more information on this post, contact john.dunphy@patch.com.