A father, angry over his daughter coming home drunk and unruly, called the police to teach her a lesson.
Instead, police ended up arresting the father after his daughter led them to a stash of illegal weapons and more 600 vials of cocaine inside the house.
Kevin Winston, 46, was being held yesterday in the Essex County Jail on numerous weapons and drugs charges.
"He called us on her and ended up getting locked up himself," said Newark Police Director Anthony Ambrose, shaking his head.
The incident began at 2:45 a.m., when Winston called police complaining about his 16-year-old daughter, who had come home drunk.
In addition to the 16-year-old, Winston lives at 235c Irvine Turner Blvd. in Newark with four other daughters, two 15, one 12 and one 3.
When police arrived at the family's home, the oldest girl pulled police aside and told them she feared for herself and her sisters because of the number of drugs and weapons stored there.
"Once she said she was scared and frightened in the house, once she said there were weapons in the house, we are allowed to immediately search the home," Ambrose said, citing the domestic violence law.
The girl led the officers to a hidden crawl space above the ceiling of the home where police found eight guns, 617 vials of cocaine and assorted drug paraphernalia, police said.
In addition to four semi-automatic guns, including an AK-47 complete with banana clip, police confiscated a sawed-off shotgun, a 9mm handgun, a .22 caliber rifle, and more than 70 rounds of ammunition.
The guns, bags filled with purple-capped vials of drugs and baggies of bullets were displayed yesterday during an afternoon press conference where Ambrose, flanked by Police Chief Irving Bradley, announced the arrest.
Winston was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with the intent to distribute, drug possession within 1,000 feet of a school, three counts of possession of a high-capacity magazine, three counts of a defaced weapon and possession of assault weapons while in commission of drug related crimes.
Police said Winston also had outstanding warrants in Newark and Elizabeth.
The children were taken by the state Department of Youth and Family Services and temporarily relocated in the custody of a relative, Ambrose said.
"This was routine police work," he said of the case. "Officers responded to the scene, and acted upon the information received from the 16-year-old. It's a step in the right direction."
