Butler — A local man was charged with drunk driving after police responded to a citizen’s call regarding a person drinking alcohol in a parked vehicle at a convenience store along New Jersey’s Route 23. According to reports, on June 12, police responding to the alleged DWI found a 65-year-old man in the driver’s seat of his running 1996 Toyota Camry in a Stop & Shop parking lot. He was drinking alcohol and had open containers of alcoholic beverages in plain view on the front seat, police said. The suspect was taken to police headquarters and charged with DWI, consumption of alcoholic beverages within a motor vehicle and reckless driving. He was later released to a relative, pending an appearance in court.
Madison — A 46-year-old male from Morris Plains was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, refusal to submit to a breath test, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, as well as failure to report an accident after he allegedly was involved in a car crash on Woodland Road on the evening of June 12. Witnesses reported seeing the intoxicated man driving away from the crash site, heading west on Woodland Road in a white Cadillac Escalade. Police searched for the vehicle by following a fluid trail that led them to Green Avenue, where the suspect was arrested for DWI after failing to pass field sobriety tests.
Pequannock — An Oak Ridge resident was charged with DWI on the morning of Wednesday, June 19, after police observed a 2010 Ford Mustang driving erratically southbound on Route 23. Officer Kevin Ricciardi stopped the 50-year-old driver near the Scott Center in Pompton Plains, and noticed an odor of alcohol coming from the passenger compartment of the vehicle. According to reports, the driver appeared to have trouble finding his documents and exhibited slurred speech. The officer arrested the man after he failed several field sobriety tests. Police also found a prescription bottle in the vehicle containing two types of medication, one of which was confirmed to be the pain killer Percocet. The man was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS). He was also issued summonses for possession of CDS in a motor vehicle, refusal to submit breath samples, failure to maintain lane and failure to exhibit registration.
Police Blotter, DailyRecord.com, June 19, 2009