Toms River Motorist Allegedly Transported 112 Pounds of Marijuana

A Toms River man was arrested after Illinois State Police allegedly found 112 pounds of marijuana in a vehicle he was driving on Interstate 80 near Utica, Ill.

John R. Griffiths, 60, of Toms River, was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, following a traffic stop at 10:18 a.m. Jan. 28, confirmed state police.

According to a report in the La Salle News Tribune in Illinois, state police used a drug-sniffing dog to find the drugs during the traffic stop, which was along a portion of the highway where an earlier drug seizure was made for cocaine. Griffiths was being held in Illinois.

Feb. 3

A South Toms River resident called police after shots were fired through their Deauville Avenue home, just before 8 p.m. Feb. 3. A window was shot out, sending glass flying and injuring the resident, police said. The resident reported lacerations to their face and glass in their eye. South Toms River Police and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department responded.

 Jan. 31

A Toms River resident was charged with shoplifting from on Jan. 31, police said. Tia Rhoads, 21, of Toms River was arrested for allegedly shoplifting $126 worth of food items from Walmart. She was taken into custody and transported to Lacey Township Police headquarters where she was formerly charged for shoplifting, police said.

 Jan. 27

Barnegat Township Police Anthony Longo, 26, of Toms River on Jan. 27, for several outstanding contempt of court warrants with bail totaling $19,209.00. Longo was unable to post bail and was lodged in the Ocean County Jail, Toms River. 

Jan. 26

A Toms River resident was arrested Jan. 26 and charged with an alleged robbery of rock salt t Jan. 21.

On Jan. 21 at about 2:45 p.m, police had gone to Kings Supermarket in Montclair in Essex County after a pedestrian was struck by a car during a robbery. Police spoke to the store's manager, who said an employee had been hit by a red Hyundai Elantra with New Jersey license plates. Police also spoke to the victim, who said he hadn't been injured.

The employee told police he was in the store’s parking lot when he noticed two men with a shopping cart full of rock salt, allegedly loading it into a vehicle without having paid for it. He approached the men and asked if they had any intention of paying for the items, but the pair left the shopping cart when they were confronted and ran into the vehicle, police said. The employee, a 50-year-old Garwood resident, attempted to stop the stop the fleeing vehicle by placing himself in front of it, but the vehicle accelerated and struck the employee before fleeing the area. The pair was unable to place any of the rock salt into the vehicle before they fled the area, police said, leaving behind 20 containers of rock salt, with a total value of $200.

As a result of an ongoing investigation, detectives identified Michael Corsi as the driver of the vehicle. Corsi, 58, of Toms River, was taken into custody at the Toms River Police Department on Jan. 26. He was transported to the Montclair Police Department and charged with robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and aggravated assault. Bail was set at $150,000.