Appellate Court Grants Stay In Sanders' Release

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Rasheed Sanders, the man who was found with 8.5 kilograms of cocaine and a loaded AK-47 when he was arrested in February, will be spending at least the next few nights in jail.

A state appellate court wants to review Ocean County Superior Court Judge Wendell E. Daniels's decision on Tuesday at Sanders' detention hearing to release him until he comes up for trial, said Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

The Prosecutor's Office immediately began working on an appeal after Daniel's decision Tuesday and received word today that the matter would be held until Tuesday at noon, he said.

"We're going to fight," Della Fave said.

Ocean County narcotics investigators, who executed the warrant, also found another magazine of bullets for the rifle, six cellphones and drug paraphernalia, Della Fave has said.

Prosecutors objected to Daniel's and asked that Sanders be held while they file an appeal. Daniels granted a stay until Thursday, Della Fave said.

According to a report on the proceedings by NJ.com, Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor John Tassini told Daniels, "An AK 47 is a killing machine. There is no reason to have one other than to cause harm."

Prosecutors said the volume of the cocaine — 8.5 kilograms is worth between $230,000 and $320,000 according to narcoticnews.com, a website that tracks street prices of illegal drugs — is an indicator that Sanders is "part of a multi-state drug network."

Those ties would make it very easy for Sanders to disappear, Della Fave said.

Photo: Rasheed Sanders via Ocean County Corrections website