Suffolk County Deputy Sheriffs arrested a Manorville man on charges including criminal possession of a controlled substance and assaulting a police officer after he allegedly fled from deputies during a ghost plate enforcement detail in Moriches.
On May 14 at approximately 8:15 p.m., Bashir Shekid was stopped by deputy sheriffs working a ghost plate enforcement detail after they observed the white Ford E-350 he was operating displaying a California license plate and no front plate. Deputies determined the vehicle was unregistered, uninsured, uninspected, and displaying improper license plates.
While the deputy sheriffs were in the process of issuing summonses to Shekid, he allegedly fled the traffic stop. Deputy sheriffs later located the vehicle and apprehended the defendant. During the arrest, a deputy sheriff sustained injuries after Shekid allegedly resisted arrest and assaulted the officer.
A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of a white powdery substance that tested positive for approximately 260,000 milligrams (more than half a pound) of ketamine, according to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Bureau.
Shekid, 34, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree (a Class C felony); Assault in the Second Degree (A Class D felony); Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs: Prior Conviction Within 10 Years (a Class E Felony); Obstructing Governmental Administration in the Second Degree and Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in the Third Degree and Resisting Arrest (all Class A misdemeanors); Reckless Driving (a misdemeanor); and other Vehicle and Traffic Law infractions.
“Suffolk County Deputy Sheriffs put themselves in harm’s way every day to keep our roads and communities safe,” said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. “Ghost plates are often used to conceal criminal activity and evade law enforcement, making this task force so important. I commend our Deputy Sheriffs for their professionalism and work in safely apprehending this individual, and I am grateful that the injured Officer was not seriously hurt.”