The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A Pompton Lakes man who volunteers as a Santa Claus impersonator was pulled over while driving on Monday and arrested for alleged drug charges.
Charles R. Smith, a retired New Jersey Transit worker, currently does volunteer work dressing as Santa Claus for the Toys for Tots Foundation. He had been driving down Route 46 around 2:00 in the morning on Monday when South Hackensack police pulled him over for a routine traffic stop. Smith stated that he was on his way to a nearby motel at the time. One of the officers spotted a crack pipe next to Smith’s Santa suit which was hanging in the vehicle, and a search of the car allegedly uncovered empty plastic bags containing crack cocaine and heroin residue. A hypodermic needle was also said to be amongst the contraband items.
66-year-old Smith was taken into custody and faces two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released shortly after his detainment and awaits a court hearing. It is unknown whether Smith has legal representation at this time.