A Newark man was arraigned on multiple weapons charges today following his arrest yesterday by Essex County sheriff’s detectives.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that while staging a plainclothes surveillance operation in the area of Seymour and Madison avenues on Wednesday afternoon detectives from his department’s Bureau of Narcotics observed a male make repeated trips to a second floor window, located at 39 Seymour Avenue, in order to survey activity on the street below.
“After a short period of time, the suspect, later identified as Daquan Pope, 37, exited his residence, carrying a black plastic bag,” Sheriff Fontoura said. “The bag had a hole at the bottom and our BON officers detected what they believed to be the barrel of a shotgun protruding from the bag.”
Simultaneously, a 2000 Honda Accord pulled up to the scene and Pope opened the rear passenger door, placed the bag on the floorboard and entered the front passenger seat.
“The Honda was followed around the corner to Farley Avenue where our BON detectives conducted a motor vehicle stop and removed Pope from the vehicle,” Fontoura added. “The plastic bag was found to contain a sawed-off, 12 gauge Mossberg Maverick pump action shotgun and a box of shotgun ammunition.”
Pope was charged with the unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
The male driver of the Honda was questioned and released.
At today’s arraignment, Pope was ordered held at the county jail in lieu of $70,000 cash bond only.