Volunteer Santa Claus busted for crack pipe after traffic stop, cops say
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Be good for goodness sake.
A white-bearded volunteer Santa is facing drug charges after an overnight New Jersey traffic stop.
Charles Smith, 66, of Pompton Lakes, who bears a resemblance to Saint Nick in his booking photo, wasn’t wearing a Santa Claus outfit when he was pulled over in South Hackensack at 2 a.m. Monday, but had one with him at the time, police said.
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"This is the guy who has our kids sitting on his lap," South Hackensack Police Capt. Robert Kaiser said, according to the Hackensack Daily Voice.
The arresting officer spotted a crack pipe in plain view in Smith’s vehicle, police said.
A subsequent search turned up empty bags of crack and heroin and a hypodermic needle, according to the police.
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Smith was charged with possession of drug paraphenalia and released, the Bergen Record reported.
Smith is a NJ Transit retiree who volunteers at Toys for Tots, the Bergen Record reported.
A Facebook page that Kaiser said belongs to Smith contains various pictures of Smith in a Santa Claus costume, the paper reported.
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One picture has Smith in the Santa Claus outfit posing with Marines in May 2016, according to the paper.
A representative for Toys for Tots could not be reached for comment, the paper reported.
The Associated Press reported trying to contact Smith but was unsuccessful.
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It was not known if an attorney was representing Smith.