Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Morris Plains Borough Police Chief Jason A. Kohn announce the arrests of Meshach Whagar, 28, of Newark, and Tione Davis, 35, of East Orange, in connection with a police pursuit that occurred during the early morning hours of December 19th.
According to authorities, on Dec. 19, 2017, at approximately 1:15 a.m., law enforcement identified a vehicle in the area of Hanover Avenue and Speedwell Avenue in Morris Plains with a registration tag that was not assigned to the vehicle.
When officers attempted to conduct a motor vehicle stop, the vehicle accelerated and attempted to flee.
The pursuit continued into Morris Township, where the driver ultimately lost control and crashed into a telephone pole on Hanover Avenue.
Both occupants fled the car on foot. Whagar, later identified as the driver, was located hiding in a garage in Morris Township shortly after the pursuit. Davis was apprehended on the morning of December 20th at his place of employment.
During a search of the car, law enforcement officers recovered two handguns. One of the handguns contained dum-dum bullets.
Police charged Whagar with one count of Eluding, a crime of the second degree, two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Handgun, crimes of the second degree, one count of Burglary, a crime of the third degree, one count of Resisting Arrest, a crime of the third degree, one count of Hindering Apprehension, a crime of the third degree, and one count of Possession of Dum-Dum Bullets, a crime of the fourth degree. A judge ordered Whagar to be held at the Morris County Correctional Facility on a warrant-complaint in accordance with the Criminal Justice Reform Act.
Police charged Davis with two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Handgun, crimes of the second degree, one count of Resisting Arrest, a crime of the third degree, and one count of Possession of Dum-Dum Bullets, a crime of the fourth degree. A judge ordered Davis to be held at the Morris County Correctional Facility on a warrant-complaint in accordance with the Criminal Justice Reform Act.
Numerous law enforcement agencies assisted in the investigation, including the Morris Plains Borough Police Department, the Morris Township Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, the Major Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hanover Township Police Department, the Morristown Police Department, the Morris County Park Police, the Madison Police Department, and the Florham Park Police Department.
The charges and allegations are merely accusations, and both Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Morris County Prosecutor's Office at 973-285-6200 or the Morris Plains Police Department at 973-538-2284.