Pair arrested for Robbery and Aggravated Assault

[Chief M Richards]

On Saturday December 27, 2014 at 11:49pm, the Newton Police Department received a report of a Robbery and an Assault at the Merriam-Gateway Condos, located at 69-75 Sparta Avenue.  Patrol Officers responded and met with the victim, a 20 year old male, who reported that he was attacked by two males while he was visiting friends there.  The victim reported that he was punched in the face and robbed of his personal belongings, consisting of his wallet containing cash, a cell phone and car keys.  The victim provided a description of the assailants, two males, whose identity was unknown to the victim.  As a result of the assault, the victim was transported by medevac to Morristown Hospital for surgical treatment of a fractured jaw.

 

Detectives interviewed witnesses and viewed video surveillance at the Gateway Condos which showed two suspects as the victim described.  Further investigation led to Timothy S. Nauta, Jr. (a 24 year old, unemployed homeless male) and Edwin A. Urbina (a 21 year old, unemployed male from Morristown, NJ) being identified as the suspects, however their whereabouts were unknown and efforts to locate them were not immediately successful.  Urbina is related to a resident of Merriam-Gateway.

 

On Tuesday January 20, 2015 both Urbina and Nauta were located after recently being arrested and were incarcerated at the Morris County Jail on unrelated charges.  Detectives then charged both Urbina and Nauta with the following offenses:

 

·         Robbery, N.J.S. 2C:15-1a.(1)., a Crime of the Second Degree

·         Aggravated Assault, N.J.S. 2C:12-1b.(7)., a Crime of the Third Degree

 

The warrants for the arrests of Urbina and Nauta were authorized by Judge John E. Mulhern, JMC, who set bail at $100,000 no 10% for each.  Both Urbina and Nauta were charged while being held at the Morris County Jail.  Urbina remained in the Morris County Jail (pending criminal charges from Parsippany) and Nauta was transported to the Sussex County Jail where he was lodged in default of bail.