Rumson and Fair Haven Men Indicted on Cocaine Possession Charges

Two men from Fair Haven and one from Rumson have been indicted on cocaine possession charges stemming from a September incident.

The alleged incident occurred on Sept. 13 when a Fair Haven resident from "Poplar Avenue called police to report a suspicious vehicle with three men getting in and out of the car (repeatedly)," Fair Haven Police Detective Stephen Schneider said after the arrests.

The three men were: Paul J. Kaltenborn, 37, of 140 Ridge Rd., Fair Haven; Jordan Harris, 23, of 34 Browns Lane, Fair Haven; and Michael J. Gaynor, 28, of 33 Lafayette St., Rumson.

Each now faces the indictment handed down by a Monmouth County grand jury on the charge of third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance "by knowingly or purposely obtaining or possessing, either actually or constructively," cocaine, according to the indictment from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Constructive possession means that the drug may not have been physically on their person, but could have been within close proximity of each in an enclosed or other space where the drug was within reach of each or any one person charged.

According to Schneider, when the alleged incident occurred in September, after police responded to the caller's report of suspicious activity on Poplar Avenue, Sgt. Sherri Lambert and patrolmen Dwayne Reevey and William Lagrotteri responded to the scene. Monmouth County Sheriff's Officer Kroeper and K-9 Evan were called in as well.

While questioning the men, police allegedly spotted a white powdery substance (believed to be cocaine) in a small clear plastic baggie "in plain view," Schneider reported.

An idictment does not constitute a conviction. It means that a grand jury found that there was enough evidence to proceed with prosecution. The case will be heard in a court of law.