TINTON FALLS — While responding to a reported altercation, police said they found what they believe to be 59 marijuana plants amid weeds outside a borough home.
According to a police report, on July 1, police were dispatched to a residence on Newman Springs Road, where they met a woman who reported that her car windshield had been smashed by her boyfriend, who fled the scene.
During the search of the property, they discovered what they believed to be "marijuana plants growing outside in the midst of a large weed patch," the report said. After a total of 59 plants were confiscated, police continued to look for the resident of the property, the person who allegedly smashed the victim’s windshield — George Jonkoski, 59.
Jonkoski was found hiding in a detached garage on the property, police said. After questioning about the plants, a search warrant was obtained to check Jonkoski’s residence for any further evidence, the report added. The search of the residence revealed "items indicative of CDS (controlled dangerous substance) distribution," according to the report.
Further investigation led police to suspect that Jonkoski was responsible for the plants and the distribution paraphernalia, police said. He was arrested and remanded to Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, in lieu of $100,000 bail, where he remains.
— Elaine Van Develde