DWI arrests come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes in ways that one wouldn’t expect. The important thing to remember is that anyone who feels the least bit tipsy from alcohol consumption or is otherwise impaired due to prescription medications (drug DUI) or other controlled dangerous substance (CDS) should think long and hard about climbing behind the wheel of an automobile. As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I know that even sitting in a parked motor vehicle while intoxicated could result in a drunken driving arrest or summons. So why chance it?
Recently a number of arrests took place in could North Arlington and Lyndhurst, NJ, that illustrate what can and does happen to New Jersey drivers on a fairly regular basis. As Bergen County DWI Attorneys, my firm knows that you don’t have to be caught at a sobriety roadblock to feel the pinch of a DWI conviction down the road.
CDS PossessionA 25-year-old driver was stopped in the early morning hours on a Saturday for a routine traffic violation in North Arlington. The police officer pulled the man over for operating his vehicle without his headlamps turned on. Upon determining that the motorist had some outstanding warrants, the officer effected an arrest. In the process he found five bags of what police believed to be cocaine.
Marijuana Possession in a VehicleA 17-year-old Belleville driver was arrested in Lyndhurst after a routine traffic stop. According to police reports, the teenager was charged with possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle. Police eventually released the teen to his parent. Police issued the teenager a summons for violation of a provisional license
Drunk DrivingEarly on a Sunday morning, police responded to a noise complaint on Canterbury Avenue. When police arrived they found a car with its sound system turned on very loud. Observing a 46-year-old local man seated in the driver’s seat, the officers also noticed that the vehicle’s engine was running. Talking with the driver, the officers detected the odor of alcohol and requested the man exit the car and perform several field sobriety tests, which he failed. The man was subsequently charged with drunk driving, cited for not being a licensed driver, plus refusing to submit to a breathalyzer test. The man’s car was also impounded.
A patrolman in North Arlington reportedly observed a car traveling down the road without lights at 1am on a Sunday morning. Pulling the car over, the officer questioned the 40-year-old female driver at which time he noticed the smell of alcohol on the woman’s breath. She was asked to perform several field sobriety tests, but was reportedly unable to complete them. The office placed the driver under arrest and charged her with DWI and for refusing to submit to a breath test.
A 26-year-old Hackensack resident was pulled over by police at around 5:30 on a Saturday morning after being clocked by radar doing 85mph in a 55 zone. During the traffic stop, the officer reportedly detected the odor of alcohol and noted that the subject had bloodshot and watery eyes. After allegedly failing a series of field sobriety tests the man was arrested and taken to police headquarters. A breathalyzer test was administered and returned a reading of 0.09 percent blood-alcohol content (BAC). He charged with drunk driving and speeding.
BLOTTER: 09/16/10 issue, LeaderNewspapers.net, September 16, 2010