Monroe cops charge two in separate drug arrests

Monroe - Patrol officers checking late night suspicious activities in two parking lots last weekend led to the arrest of one man for allegedly possessing a narcotic pain killer and another for reportedly having cocaine. Det. James Frankild described the incidents this way: At about 8 p.m. on Friday Dec. 17, an officer on patrol saw a vehicle parked in an area parking lot where the business was closed. Four people where in the vehicle. When the officer approached the car and spoke with the occupants, Frankild said the officer saw two pills on the floor of the car that he recognized as controlled substances. The officer then found 18 additional pills in a cellophane cigarette wrapper, which were identified as Opana, a narcotic pain medication and a controlled substance. Steven Snitofsky, 51, of Monroe was arrested and charged with third-degree Criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. Snitofsky was processed at Monroe Police Headquarters and sent to Orange County Jail. A passenger in the car, John Ellis, 20, of Liberty, was arrested on a warrant from the Town of Woodbury Police Department, charging him with disorderly conduct and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He was turned over to Woodbury police. The two others in the car were not charged and sent on their way. A several hours later, at about 1:15 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, an officer on patrol spotted a vehicle with a man in it in a parking lot where no businesses were open. As the officer approached the car, the man got out and began to walk away. The officer directed him back to the car and while interviewing him saw a small bag on the back seat floor that contained a white powder. Frankild said a field test conducted by the officer found that the powder was cocaine. The man, Nicklaus Nohle, 23, of Warwick, was charged with seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. He was processed at Monroe Police Headquarters and released on $200 bail for a future court date.