Police: Netcong man stole from girlfriend, fought with officers

HOPATCONG – A Netcong resident is accused of using an ex-girlfriend’s credit card to buy accessories for his car and fighting with police as they placed him under arrest.

An investigation started on Nov. 6 when a woman came into police headquarters to report that someone had used her credit card to buy items on Amazon.com, according to Lt. Thomas Kmetz, a police department spokesman.

The woman said she had noticed the charges she had not made so she called Amazon to find out about them and they gave her the name Wallace in connection with the purchases, Kmetz said.

The woman told police she believed it was her ex-boyfriend, Wallace Krake, 36, of Netcong.

Detective William Sutphen had recently arrested Krake for burglary to a residence in Hopatcong. In that unrelated case, Krake was charged in September with stealing diamonds and a blank check from a woman who employed him as a handyman.

Officer James Bianculli tried to contact Wallace several times but Wallace would not return phone calls, Kmetz said.

Meanwhile, Bianculli contacted Amazon and learned that Krake bought an Xenon colored headlight conversion kit, an LED tail lamp, and 7 color LED glow underbody neon lights kit in three separate transactions, Kmetz said.

Bianculli requested and got a warrant for Krake's arrest and police began looking for him.

Police went to the Netcong Heights apartments where he was living on Monday and found his vehicle, which had the parts ordered from Amazon on it, Kmetz said.

Detective Ryan Tracey, Bainculli and an officer from the Netcong Police Department went to different apartments until they found Krake. The officers entered the apartment with the arrest warrant and tried to arrest Krake but he resisted, saying he was not going anywhere, Kmetz said.

Krake would not allow the officers to handcuff him and a knife was taken from his pocket by Bianculli during the struggle that included Krake screaming that he was not going to be arrested, Kmetz said.

Tracey was forced to punch Krake on the left side of his face two times before the officers were able to handcuff him, Kmetz said.

Krake later apologized to Tracey saying he has anger issues and that if he had gotten free that would have been the end for the officers, Kmetz said.

Krake complained of chest pains while at Hopatcong Police Department headquarters so he was transported to Newton Hospital, checked out and later released. He was charged with three counts of third degree fraudulent use of a credit card, three counts of third degree intent to defraud, one count of third degree theft of a credit card, one count of fourth-degree identity theft and one count of resisting arrest. His bail was set at $16,000.

The parts that he put on his car using the stolen credit card - in the transactions that were for $59.99, $31.99 and $79.05 - are going to be removed, Kmetz said.