Sparta father and son facing disorderly conduct charges

SPARTA – A father and son are facing a variety of charges after the son allegedly drove drunk, tried to run over an officer and fled, and the father hid him in his home and fought with police, police said.

Police got involved at 10:10 p.m. Saturday after they received multiple 911 calls reporting an erratic driver traveling north on Route 15.

Sgt. Jeff Mase positioned his vehicle on the jug handle near the railroad tracks to observe traffic in an attempt to locate the reported vehicle.

Mase noticed a group of vehicles approaching his location with one of the vehicles pulling into the jug handle behind his patrol vehicle. The other vehicles in the group stopped at the traffic light, and one of the motorists flagged Mase down.

The sergeant exited his vehicle and spoke to the driver, who pointed out the suspect’s vehicle, which was stopped behind Mase’s vehicle.

Mase approached the a silver 2006 Toyota Sequoia and directed the driver Jeffrey O. Ramirez, 23, of Sparta, to remain stopped.

Ramirez, however, immediately accelerated his vehicle toward Mase, forcing him to dive out of the way onto the pavement. The sergeant injured his back and his neck as a result, police said.

The Toyota Sequoia then sideswiped the entire length of the driver’s side of the police vehicle and fled at a high rate of speed, disregarding a red traffic signal and narrowly missing a collision with another vehicle in the intersection, police said.

The suspect’s vehicle then went south on Lafayette Road before before ending up at 9 Skyview Drive, which is less than a mile from the scene. Mase noticed the vehicle had hit a mailbox and was driven onto the lawn of 9 Skyview Drive, police said.

Mase also found the vehicle with fresh damage to the front passenger’s side, which was consistent with striking the police vehicle. Several other officers arrived to assist with the investigation.

The homeowner, Freddy O. Ramirez, 53, the father of the suspect, approached Mase and immediately became uncooperative.

After being denied access into the home, officers applied for a search warrant, which they obtained.

The elder Ramirez was directed to remain outside the home until the search had been completed. Ramirez, however, attempted to re-enter the residence several times after being told not to, so the officers attempted to place Ramirez under arrest but he resisted violently, police said.

After being secured, the elder Ramirez said he had injured his leg and head, so he was transported to the Newton Medical Center where he was treated and released without incident.

Freddy Ramirez was charged with obstruction of the administration of law, hindering the apprehension of another and resisting arrest. He was processed at police headquarters and released Sunday morning on his own recognizance.

Mase also was transported to Newton Medical Center by the Sparta First Aid Squad. He was treated for back, neck and shoulder injuries and was released Sunday morning. Because of his injuries, the sergeant is unable to return to duty.

After obtaining a search warrant, officers searched the interior of the home and found the younger Ramirez hiding in a closet. The younger Ramirez, who was highly intoxicated, resisted and fought with police as they attempted to take him into custody, police said.

He was subdued and transported to headquarters for processing. Jeffrey O. Ramirez remained disorderly and combative during the time he was at police headquarters, police said. Several hours later, he, too, was transported under guard to the Newton Medical Center, where a blood sample was drawn per a court order. He was then taken to the Sussex County Jail where he was held.

Jeffrey O. Ramirez was charged with eluding a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault by auto against a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. He also was charged with numerous motor vehicle summonses, including driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident with an injury, failure to report an accident, reckless driving, disregard of a traffic signal, failure to maintain lane and disregarding an officer’s signal. He was held in lieu of $78,500 bail.

The incident remained under investigation Tuesday and police said additional charges are pending against both father and son. The Sequoia has been seized by Sparta police, and forfeiture proceedings are pending.