Wayne Trio Accused of Selling Drugs, Making Fake IDs

Three Wayne men have been charged with drug distribution and making fake IDs following a several-month investigation, police said.

Christian Rowe, 20, of Gates Place, was charged with sale of sale of fraudulent documents, falsify documents to obtain a driver’s license, exhibit false documents as identification, possession of marijuana over 50 grams, distribution of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Rowe has been released after posting 10 percent of his $75,000 bail.

Brennan Rowe, 19, of Gates Place, was charged with exhibited fraudulent drivers license, eluding police, possession of drug paraphernalia, unlicensed operator, no insurance and reckless driving. Brendan Rowe was released after posting 10 percent of his $15,000 bail.

Ryan Auguste, 20, of Armstrong Avenue, was charged with exhibited fraudulent drivers license, possession of marijuana over 50 grams, distribution of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of illegal steroids, eluding a police officer, receiving stolen property, uninsured vehicle, unregistered vehicle, suspended license and reckless driving. Auguste was released after posting 10 percent of his $50,000 bail.

The investigation began on March 27 when a New Jersey Motor Vehicle Services inspector reported to Wayne Police an incident where a person was suspected of providing false documents to take the driving exam in someone else's name, Detective Capt. Mark McGrath said.

The department of motor vehicles discovered a white man presented a New Jersey learner's permit on March 4 in the name of Ryan Auguste in order to take a written driving exam, McGrath said.

When the learner's permit was scanned, it returned a picture of a black man, McGrath said. Additional identification was requested and the white man provided a New York birth certificate, a bank statement, a school transcript and a picture Rhode Island University identification card all in the name of Ryan Auguste, McGrath said.

The picture on the school ID card matched the white male who provided the documentation, McGrath said. The white male was allowed to take the exam and passed the exam within 10 minutes. Further investigation identified the white male as Christian Rowe and it was also discovered that Ryan Auguste had failed the driver’s exam two previous times, McGrath said.

The Wayne Police were called on May 17 to the Bottle King on Route 23 for a report of a young‐looking male attempting to purchase a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey with an apparently fraudulent Rhode Island driver’s license, McGrath said. 

The man left the store prior to police arriving and left the driver’s license behind. Bottle King employees reported they have seen an increase in underage people presenting fraudulent Rhode Island driver’s licenses. A records check confirmed the driver’s license was fake, however, the name on the license was real and was traced a juvenile male from Wayne, McGrath said.

Detective Dave Collins began investigating these fraudulent driver’s license and has since confiscated more than 50 licenses from Wayne Hills High School and Wayne Valley High School students.

During the course of his investigation Collins developed information that Christian Rowe was making fake IDs, McGrath said. The investigation revealed Rowe lives on Gates Place but he was also renting a home on Armstrong Avenue where he was making the fake IDs, McGrath said.

Surveillance of the Armstrong Avenue residence indicated activity that was consistent with illegal drug distribution and/or the sale of fraudulent documents, McGrath said. Detective Paul Kindler of the Wayne Police Special Operations/Narcotics Unit began a parallel investigation into the possible distribution of illegal drugs as Collins continued his fraudulent document investigation.

Over the next several weeks, surveillance continued at the Armstrong Avenue house as both investigations continued in an attempt to develop enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant.

Pompton Lakes police officers observed two motorcycles traveling eastbound on Hamburg Turnpike with one motorcycle not displaying a license plate at about 2:15 p.m. last Wednesday. 

Pompton Lakes officers attempted to stop the motorcycle with no license plate and both motorcycles fled at a high rate of speed onto Hamburg Turnpike in Wayne and turned onto Black Oak Ridge Road, McGrath said.

The Wayne Police Department then joined the pursuit and the motorcycle without the license plate crashed while attempting to turn into the driveway for the Al‐ Ghazaly School on Black Oak Ridge Road, McGrath said. 

This motorcycle was operated by Ryan Auguste and he was taken into custody. Auguste was not injured in the crash. The motorcycle was determined to be stolen out of Nassau County in New York, McGrath said.

The second motorcycle continued on Black Oak Ridge Road and was observed a short time later entering the property on Armstrong Avenue, McGrath said. The operator of this motorcycle was Brennan Rowe and he placed the motorcycle in the garage and attempted to leave the property in a 2008 Cadillac Escalade when he was apprehended by the Wayne Police, McGrath said.

The house was secured and officers waited for a search warrant, which was executed a short time later. Officers found evidence of illegal drug possession and distribution and the illegal manufacture of fraudulent documents was discovered and seized, McGrath said.

Christian Rowe was not present and turned himself in to the Wayne Police Department on Thursday.