New Jersey DWI Lawyer Blog
My suggestion to motorists in New Jersey: Don’t complicate matters by driving drunk with kids in your car. It’s one thing to be pulled over for a DWI or drug DUI while you are traveling solo in Ocean, Atlantic or Passaic County, but law enforcement and the courts take a dim view of drivers who potentially endanger others, especially minors and other small children, by driving under the influence of alcohol or prescription drugs.
New Jersey drunken driving defense lawyer, my job is to represent individuals arrested or charged with driving while intoxicated, whether that is by beer, wine, hard liquor or even marijuana. Even possession of weed in a motor vehicle can net a motorist a hefty fine and other penalties.
A case in point, not long ago a driver involved in a traffic accident along Route 1 was charged with drunk driving by police. During the incident, his wife and two young kids were also in the vehicle. According to news reports, South Brunswick police arrested 28-year-old Jorge Fuentes after determining that he was driving drunk with his wife and children in the car. Not only does this kind of activity lead to a DWI offense, but it also exposes the man to child endangerment charges as well.
The incident took place just after 8pm on a Saturday night when law enforcement officers heard reports of a car crash near Route 1 and New Road. Patrolmen arriving on the scene found only one vehicle, which had obviously been involved in a minor collision. The other vehicle apparently fled the scene, according to police reports.
A witness reportedly followed Fuentes’ ’05 Hyundai Elantra and alerted police to its final location in the South Brunswick Square Mall about 2500 yards from the initial crash site. Responding to the call, patrolmen found the car with four occupants; Fuentes, his wife and two children aged eight and one year old.
The officers reportedly determined that Fuentes was intoxicated. Police charged him with driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident, careless driving and breath test refusal. The driver was also charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor. Police took the man into custody and placed him in the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center with bail set at $50,000.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Man charged with DWI after Route 1 accident, CentralJersey.com, September 29, 2010