Joint operation checkpoint results in multiple charges

As a part of its continued support of the Governor’s Highway Safety Initiative, the Washington Police Department coordinated a DWI checkpoint Saturday night that resulted in multiple charges.

The charges included the following:

• 13 charges of no operator’s license;
• one child-restraint violation;
• four registration violations;
• three inspection violations;
• one driving while license revoked;
• one graduated-license violation;
• one window-tint (.04 percent) violation;
• one drug-paraphernalia violation;
• two drug charges (marijuana);
• one automobile-dealer violation (filed in Pitt County on Monday);
• two driving-while-impaired violations;
• one open-container-of-alcohol violation.

This checkpoint also resulted in the arrest of a wanted person.

Quinton Javier Howard, 19, of Engelhard, was apprehended after he failed to stop at the checkpoint and fled on foot after driving his vehicle off the road. Howard was charged with felony flee to elude arrest, possession of a stolen firearm, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana. He also was arrested on outstanding warrants from Washington County for failure to appear in court and from Dare County for second-degree burglary.

Howard was placed in Beaufort County Detention Center under a $31,300 secured bond pending court appearances.

This arrest also incorporated a new law that took effect Dec. 1. Under that law, if a suspect flees to elude arrest in a vehicle, that vehicle is seized and turned over to the local sheriff’s office until the court determines how to dispose of the vehicle.

“This was a very successful checkpoint which was a coordinated effort by many surrounding agencies including Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, NC DMV, Chocowinity Police Department, NC State Highway Patrol, and NC Probation and Parole working together,” reads an email from the police department.

The department made other arrests last week, including the following:

On Friday, police charged Joshua Redie Evans, 21, of County Home Road, Greenville, with felony attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud. Evans’ bond was set at $7,500, pending court appearances.

Also on Friday, police charged Jonathan Lee Gonzales, 27, of West Fifth Street, Washington, with felony financial card theft, identity theft and obtaining property by false pretense. Gonzales was released after posting bond, pending court appearances.  Additional charges are pending in this case.

On Thursday, police arrested Kendrick Tyrone Grice, 21, of Maple Street, Washington, on an outstanding warrant charging him with common-law robbery that occurred in Beaufort County. Grice was placed in Beaufort County Detention Center under a $20,000 bond, pending court appearances.