Woman Arrested in New Jersey After Cops Find Four Pounds of Meth Walks Away With $110,000 Settlement

A woman arrested after a New Jersey police officer discovered her sleeping in a car, with four pounds of meth, is walking away with a six-figure settlement after her lawyers argued the search of her vehicle was unconstitutional. In 2023, a New York woman, Amber Arnold, and a friend were driving back to her Jamestown home from New York City when she pulled over at a gas station at Netcong to take a nap. Ms. Arnold said she received permission from a gas station employee to sleep there.However, police were later called to make Ms. Arnold leave as the gas station was closing. Two Netcong police officers woke up Ms. Arnold, and her friend, questioned them, and asked for their identification. Ms. Arnold reportedly declined to consent to have her car searched, at which point the officers asked for a Morris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit, which gave a positive indication and the car was searched. The officers found roughly four pounds of crystal meth, a taser, and $1,500.A grand jury later indicted Ms. Arnold with conspiracy, first-degree possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, and financial facilitation of criminal activity involving $1,500, possession of a taser while committing a drug offense, and certain persons-not-to-have weapons. Ms. Arnold’s lawyers filed a motion to suppress the search, arguing that the police officers did not have reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, and that the search of the car was the result of an illegal detention, because the car was parked at a gas station parking lot, instead of the search occurring during a traffic stop. Attorneys for the state argued that the officers did have reasonable cause because Ms. Arnold’s friend had track marks and appeared to be unconscious. They also cited conflicting answers and identification issues.However, in August 2024, a superior court judge, Ralph Amirata, granted the motion to suppress the evidence. Ms. Arnold sued the Borough of Netcon and the Netcong Police Department. Court documents, first obtained by TransparencyNJ.com this week, show that the Netcong Police Department agreed to pay Ms. Arnold a settlement of $85,000, and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office agreed to pay her $25,000 to resolve her lawsuit.

Woman Arrested in New Jersey After Cops Find Four Pounds of Meth Walks Away With $110,000 Settlement

Woman Arrested in New Jersey After Cops Find Four Pounds of Meth Walks Away With $110,000 Settlement

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