Manahawkin Woman Faces Drug Charges After Police Stop

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — A Manahawkin woman faces drug charges after a motor vehicle stop conducted by Stafford police on Feb. 15, according to a news release.

Ashley E. Kolakowski, 31, of Hudson Street, was stopped by an officer at about 12:51 a.m. in the area of 320 Route 72 East, police said.

During the stop, the officer developed reasonable suspicion that Kolakowski possessed a controlled dangerous substance, police said. As a result, Patrolman Russell Okinsky and his K-9 partner, Buck, were called to the scene. K-9 Buck conducted an exterior sniff of the vehicle.

K-9 Buck gave a positive indication for the presence of narcotics odor coming from within the vehicle, police said. A subsequent search of the vehicle did not yield any controlled dangerous substances. Patrolman Danielle Errico then responded to conduct a search of Kolakowski's person.

The search of Kolakowski's person led to the discovery of a quantity of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, police said. Kolakowski was subsequently charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of paraphernalia and failure to make lawful disposition of a controlled dangerous substance.

Following the charges, Kolakowski was processed and photographed. She was then released with instructions for a future court appearance at Ocean County Superior Court.