Pequannock New Jersey police recently arrested a man accused of purchasing heroin while his four-year-old daughter was with him.

According to authorities, the 30-year-old suspect drove his car to Paterson and had his four-year-old child in the vehicle when he did so. The suspect reportedly traveled from his residence in Passaic to Paterson, where he bought heroin.

A Pequannock NJ patrol cop later saw that the suspect’s car had a broken taillight while driving on Route 23 North, so he pulled over the suspect’s vehicle.

When the police officer approached the suspect’s vehicle, he smelled marijuana coming from the car. The Pequannock police officer also noticed that a young girl was seated in the vehicle.

When police later searched the suspect’s car, they reportedly discovered six wax folds of heroin, four Suboxone pills, three Oxycontin pills, and a tablet of Buprenorphine pain reliever.

The suspect, who is from Passaic New Jersey, was arrested and charged with several crimes, including heroin possession and endangering the welfare of a child. Moreover, the suspect was also issued citations for a number of traffic offenses, including failure to maintain lamps, failure to inspect a vehicle, failure to use a child restraint, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) in a car.

After being placed under arrest and processed at Pequannock NJ police headquarters, the suspect was released. He will have to appear in court at a later date to answer the criminal charges against him.

If the suspect is ultimately convicted of heroin possession, he would be subject to severe penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10, possession of even a small amount of heroin is considered a third degree crime. A conviction for third degree possession of heroin could result in a sentence of 3-5 years in NJ State Prison.

For more information about this case, view the NJ.com article, “Man Had 4-Year-Old in Car While Buying Heroin in Paterson, Cops Say.”