Former Passaic Sheriff's Employee Found with Stolen Car, Cops Say
Police say man was found with prohibited items including pepper spray and a billy club.
Parsippany Police say a former Passaic County Sheriff's Office staffer was arrested in the township last Thursday.
Wayne resident Richard Coviello, 37, faces charges of receiving stolen property, having a prohibited weapon and possession of OC (pepper) spray, according to a department statement.
Sgt. Yvonne Christiano said Officer Paul Levi was conducting random license plate checks at about 9:17 that morning when he discovered a gray Lexus RX350 reported stolen out of Rochelle Park Jan. 13. The vehicle was parked in the lot of the Ramada Inn located at 949 Route 46, she said.
According to Christiano, police gained entry to the Lexus and found information identifying a suspect who was found in a room in the Ramada.
Police discovered that Coviello once worked for the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office. They also found a number of items in his possession: pepper spray, a billy club and an expandable police baton, along with two law enforcement badges from the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office.
After being arrested and charged, Christiano said Coviello was released on his own recognizance.
Scondo
10:20 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
So, was he impersonating a police officer or what, does not seem like a case for recognizance release unless the stolen car was a repo and he was the repo man, who used the badges for that purpose. Strange case.