Tuesday, December 02, 2008

MADISON: Two Newark men and a teenager are behind bars on handgun possession charges after a police sergeant on patrol stopped their car last night near Madison Avenue, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

The pair of adults, Fuquan Cromwell and James Grate, both 22, and a 16-year-old boy crossed paths with Sgt. Joe Cirella at 8:08 p.m., authorities said.

They were in a black Honda Civic with tinted windows, authorities said, noting a loaded 9 mm handgun was recovered by police.

The juvenile, Cromwell and Grate also were charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds, and the juvenile also was charged with possession of cocaine.

The adults are being sent to the county jail, each in lieu of $100,000 bail, set by Madison Municipal Court Judge Gary F. Troxell. The teenager is in the county juvenile detention center.

Despite these pending charges every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt following a jury trial at which the defendant has all of his or her rights guaranteed by the U.S. and New Jersey Constitution and relevant state law.