WILDWOOD – When a city man returned to his parked pickup truck on Sunday, Sept. 15, police officers were waiting to arrest him for possession of a small electronic scale – the kind commonly used to weigh drugs – that was clearly visible in his vehicle.
Bernard Burton, 40, was arrested on multiple drug and weapons charges.
According to a Police Department press release, police received an anonymous tip on Sept. 15 at about 10:25 p.m. saying someone was distributing illegal narcotics from a pickup truck in the area of the Wildwood Housing Authority.
Police responded to the area and found the pickup truck parked in the 100 block of West Schellenger Avenue. Officers found the vehicle unoccupied, but noticed the electronic scale in plain view inside the vehicle.
Shortly thereafter, police said, Burton returned to the vehicle and was taken into custody for possession of controlled dangerous substances paraphernalia. A search of the vehicle was conducted to recover the electronic scale, upon which police found distribution quantities of suspected cocaine, as well as suspected heroin, methadone, alprazolam, gabapentin and drug-packing materials.
Police also found a .40-caliber semiautomatic Glock 23 handgun and a high-capacity magazine containing 12 rounds of ammunition.
As a result of the investigation, Burton was charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, third-degree possession of cocaine, third-degree possession with intent to distribute cocaine, third-degree possession of heroin, third-degree possession of methadone, third-degree possession of alprazolam, third-degree possession of prescription legend drugs, third-degree distribution of a CDS within 500 feet of a public place, fourth-degree distribution of CDS paraphernalia with intent to distribute and fourth-degree possession of a high-capacity magazine.
He was incarcerated in the Cape May County Correctional Center.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
