The Latest: Allentown mayor met with man stopped at tunnel

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Latest on three people arrested with a cache of guns at the Holland Tunnel (all times local):

2 p.m.

The mayor of Pennsylvania’s third-largest city says that he recently met with a man stopped this week at the Holland Tunnel with a cache of weapons.

Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski said Wednesday that John Cramsey seemed liked a “passionate, grieving father who wanted to do something about the heroin epidemic.” He says they discussed an anti-drug benefit concert last week.

Cramsey, Dean Smith, of Whitehall, and Kimberly Arendt, of Lehighton, have pleaded not guilty to weapons possession charges. Their attorneys argued the search that uncovered the weapons Tuesday in New Jersey was illegal.

Cramsey and Smith discussed on Facebook going to New York to “rescue” a 16-year-old girl involved with drug activity. Cramsey’s daughter died from an overdose in February.

The Democratic mayor says he told the gun range operator they disagreed on guns but agreed on the need to address heroin.

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1:30 p.m.

Attorneys for three Pennsylvania residents facing numerous charges after weapons were found inside a pickup truck stopped outside New York City say they will seek to have the evidence thrown out.

The attorneys for John Cramsey, of Zionsville, 53-year-old Dean Smith, of Whitehall, and 29-year-old Kimberly Arendt, of Lehighton, argued Wednesday the search that uncovered the weapons Tuesday in New Jersey was illegal.

The three pleaded not guilty. A Hudson County judge declined to give them the option of paying 10 per cent of their $75,000 cash bail.

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press one of the people said they were headed to Brooklyn on Tuesday to “rescue” a teenage girl. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

— Michael Balsamo, in New York, contributed to this story

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10:45 a.m.

Three Pennsylvania residents facing numerous charges after weapons were found inside a pickup truck that was stopped at the Holland Tunnel are set to make their initial court appearances.

Fifty-year-old John Cramsey, of Zionsville, 53-year-old Dean Smith, of Whitehall, and 29-year-old Kimberly Arendt, of Lehighton, each face several weapons charges. They are scheduled to appear in court in Jersey City, New Jersey, at 1 p.m. Wednesday. They couldn’t be reached for comment.

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press one of the people told investigators they were headed to Brooklyn on Tuesday to “rescue” a teenage girl. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Cramsey and Smith wrote about their plans on Facebook early Tuesday morning. Cramsey’s daughter died of a drug overdose earlier this year.

— Michael Balsamo, in New York, contributed to this story