"This is a guy that’s going out there and working as Santa Claus and having children sitting on his lap," cops said.
Not even Willie T. Stokes in Bad Santa was quite as naughty as this New Jersey man.
A 66-year-old man who plays Santa Claus has been arrested after cops discovered a crack pipe, empty bags of crack and heroin and a hypodermic needle in his car during a traffic stop.
“We were concerned,” Captain Robert Kaiser of the South Hackensack Police Department told InsideEdition.com. “This is a guy that’s going out there and working as Santa Claus and having children sitting on his lap. We’re taking this seriously.”
The suspect, identified as Charles R. Smith of Pompton Lakes, told officers he was on his way to a local motel when he was pulled over for a traffic violation at 2:30 a.m. Monday morning.
Cops said a crack pipe and Santa Claus costume was in plain view as Smith was pulled over, and further search of the vehicle turned up more drug paraphernalia and a hypodermic needle.
While Kaiser said it was unlikely he was on his way to or from working as Santa Claus, police confirmed he volunteers as Santa Claus for Toys for Tots and had retired from a position with New Jersey Transit.
Smith was charged with two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of possession of a hypodermic needle. He has not yet entered a plea.
Toys for Tots did not respond to InsideEdition.com’s request for comment.
