Belvidere Man Faces Drug, Traffic Charges After Stop on I-78

A 28-year-old Belvidere resident was arrested early last Friday morning on drug-related and traffic-related charges after police allegedly noted that his vehicle registration was expired, according to a township police report.

After police then allegedly found Oxycodone pills in a pill bottle not prescribed to him in his vehicle, Christopher Kelly of Belvidere now faces charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance; possession of drug paraphernalia; possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle; driving with a suspended drivers license and driving an unregistered vehicle, township police said.

Police said that at approximately 12:25 a.m. on Dec. 2, Patrol Officer Chris Baxter conducted a random license plate inquiry on a 2006 Pontiac that was traveling westbound on Route 78 through Bernards Township. Baxter was notified that the vehicle’s registration was expired, the police report said.

Baxter pulled over and approached the driver, Christopher Kelly, and while speaking to Kelly allegedly observed a prescription pill on the floor of the vehicle.

The officer reportedly asked Kelly to explain why the pill was in the vehicle. Following that conversation, Kelly was asked to give consent to a search of his vehicle, and police said he agreed to that search, the report said.

A prescription pill bottle containing several more pills was located in the center console of the vehicle, the police report said. Upon further investigation it was determined that the pills in the center console were in a pill bottle that was not prescribed to Kelly and that the prescription bottle did not contain the pills that were on the prescription label, according to police. The police investigation also determined that the pills in the bottle were Oxycodone, a painkiller, according to the report.

After the trafffic stop, police said they also found Kelly had two outstanding warrants for his arrest, and he was placed under arrest for those warrants, the police report said.

Kelly was transported to headquarters and processed, police said. After processing, Kelly was turned over to the New Jersey State Police to satisfy the outstanding warrants, the police report said.

Township police said Kelly has not been convicted of the charges facing him from last Friday's arrest.