4:49 p.m., Sept. 29, 2008----Newark Police have announced the arrest of four men responsible for three recent home invasion robberies and another that occurred in May and have issued warrants for two others.

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Arrested were Jason P. Folk, 21, and Robert J. Priddy, 21, both of Newark, Abdulhakimi Abdul-Ahad, 20, of Bear, and Jeffery Graham, 20, of Newark. Warrants have been issued for Keith Weakley, 25, of Colchester, Conn., and Reginald Meadows, 18, of Newark, and anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact the Newark Police at (302) 366-7111.

The incidents occurred in the 100 block of East Cleveland Avenue around 5:30 a.m., Sept. 25; in the 100 blcok of East Park Place around 3:10 a.m., Sept. 24; in the first block of East Cleveland Avenue around 11 p.m., Sept. 10; and in the first block of East Cleveland Avenue around 7:30 a.m., May 20.

Search warrants executed at the homes of some of the suspects resulted in the seizure of two handguns believed to be used during the robberies. Some of the property stolen during the robberies was recovered during the searches. All active participants in the robberies have been identified, but the investigation is continuing in an effort to identify any behind-the-scenes players.

The possession and/or use or selling of marijuana from the victims' houses is a common thread in all the robberies, and in at least one of these cases, the victims were criminally charged with drug offenses.

Newark Police Chief Paul Tiernan praised the efforts of the Newark Police officers, and said, "We have officers working around the clock on these cases, some gathering information and some out on the street. As I have publicly stated in the past, if you commit a crime in the city of Newark, you will be arrested. Our Criminal Investigations Division is second to none, and our clearance rate for robbery is twice the national average."

Albert "Skip" Homiak Jr., executive director of campus and public safety at the University, said, “This was a case of outstanding police work by Newark detectives that culminated in the arrest of criminals who were involved in violent behavior. The message should be clear to those engaged in this type of illegal activity - you will be tracked down, arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent.”