NEWS

Police: Sparta woman driving in Hopatcong with crack

Staff report

HOPATCONG – A Sparta resident is facing a variety of charges after driving erratically and being found in possession of crack cocaine, police said.

A motorist called police on Nov. 25 at 6:50 p.m. to report that a a vehicle they were following was all over the road, according to police Lt. Thomas Kmetz, a department spokesman.

“This vehicle was going over the double yellow lines,” Kmetz said. “At one point it went up onto a curb and almost struck a light pole.”

The caller followed the vehicle into the Quick Chek parking lot where Officer David Kraus and Sgt. Michael O'Shea watched as the vehicle pulled out of one parking spot before parking in another.

Kraus spoke to the driver, Julia Lang, 34, of Sparta, who reached under the front passenger seat.

The officer told Lang not to reach under the seat but she persisted in doing so despite repeated instructions not to so Kraus grabbed Lang by her shoulder and ordered her out of her car, Kmetz said.

Lang refused to get out so Kraus tried to pull her out but she grabbed the center console, Kmetz said.

A struggled ensued before Lang was eventually pulled out of her car. She was found to be hiding something in her closed hand that she refused to open so Kraus again struggled with Lang, who was flailing her arms, Kmetz said.

Lang attempted to put her hand in her mouth and tried to pull away so she was taken to the ground and sustained a cut to her forehead, Kmetz said.

Lang had been holding a small piece of empty foil in her hand that she was trying to hide, Kmetz said.

The foil turned out to be empty but police found two crack pipes, copper Brillo pads, and a small baggy of suspected crack cocaine in the car, Kmetz said.

Lang was brought to police headquarters, where she was given the Alcotest and examined by a Drug Recognition Expert. She was charged with possession of crack, obstruction, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle.

She was released the next morning after no one picked her up, police said.