Man Robbed of $300 in Pot, Accidentally Drops Dime Bag in Front of Cops

The victim of an assault and robbery apparently lost track of the amount of property stolen from him late yesterday afternoon and wound up being charged with a crime, the Essex County Sheriff's Office said Friday. 

Detectives at the county sheriff's Patrol Division headquarters on Clifton Avenue responded to several screams for help from a male who was outside the police facility at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, according to a release from Sheriff Armando Fontoura.

The man, later identified as 43-year-old Claiston Smith of Columbia Avenue, reported to the officers that he had just been beaten and robbed by three young men.  Smith was suffering from multiple abrasions, bumps and bruises about the head and was bleeding from the mouth, according to Fontoura.

The officers immediately called EMS for medical treatment.  The battered man was placed inside a sheriff’s marked unit and the immediate area was canvassed without success.

 While awaiting the arrival of EMS, Smith was questioned about the particulars of the assault and robbery, and told authorities the alleged robbers stole "30 dime bags of weed" from him. Smith was referring to the $300 worth of marijuana he was allegedly carrying at the time of the incident, according to Fontoura.

When Smith removed his jacket to have his blood pressure checked, the 30th bag of marijuana, apparently not stolen during the assault, dropped to the floor, Fontoura said.

    “This is the second time in two weeks that people have come to us for assistance while carrying drugs,” Fontoura said.  “Another guy came to the courthouse on February 28th to turn himself in on an open criminal warrant and he had 22 bags of marijuana in his underwear.  What they say about the excessive use of marijuana causing memory loss is apparently true.”

    Smith was issued a disorderly persons summons for possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana and released.  The charge will be heard in Newark municipal court at a later date.