Staff report

HOPATCONG – A borough resident was arrested after he was found throwing things out of a truck and then refused to listen to a police officer's instructions, police said.

Officer Nick Maresca responded to the parking lot of Johnny's Marina at 4:19 p.m. on Saturday after police got a report about a person chasing a car, police said.

Maresca found Dasean Sears, 26, throwing tree climbing equipment from the back of his truck onto the parking lot, police said.

Maresca asked Sears what was going on but Sears would not answer and began walking very fast from the back of his truck to the open driver's door, police said.

The officer ordered him to stop but Sears kept going and reached into the center console of his vehicle, police said.

Maresca again ordered him to stop and to show his hands but Sears did not comply and continued to do something inside of the vehicle, police said.

Concerned for his safety and not knowing what Sears could be reaching for, Maresca physically took Sears to the ground and handcuffed him, police said.

"It cannot be stressed enough that you must do what a police officer directs you to do," said police Lt. Thomas Kmetz, a department spokesman. "From a police officers eyes Sears was going into his center console to get a gun. We must think like this. If not, when it does happen we are not ready and we die."

Maresca asked what the problem was and Sears told him he is having a bad day, police said.

The ensuing investigation determined that Sears had gotten into an argument with his girlfriend over a belt buckle which did not fit properly, police said. This made Sears "go off" and he picked up a rock and threw it at his own truck before driving to Johnny's Marina where Maresca found him.

Sears was taken to headquarters where he calmed down and explained that he has bad days like these, police said. Maresca took him to Newton Hospital to talk to a counselor about his anger, police said. He was charged with obstruction of justice and resisting arrest.