Pick almost any community from across the Garden State and you will likely see at least a handful of drunk driving incidents occur there nearly every month. Being the most densely populated state in the Union, it is hardly surprising that New Jersey state troopers and local cops make more than 20,000 DWI arrests every year. Add to that the nearly 200 fatal accidents that make up about a third of all deadly roadway collisions and anyone can see that DWI-DUI enforcement is backed by both the public and the government.
Whether one is talking about Middlesex County, Bergen County, Ocean County or Atlantic County, the incidences of police traffic stops that result in an arrest for intoxicated driving or drug-related impaired operation of a motor vehicle is based on the number of individuals who are drunk on the road at the time. While a police officer is prohibited by law from stopping a driver only on the basis of a hunch that the person is inebriated, if there is a traffic violation, the door can be opened to a potential DUI-DWI arrest.
As New Jersey drunken driving defense lawyers, we fully understand the trepidation that many motorists feel after being served with a summons for drunk driving. The prospect of going before a judge, with a prosecutor and the arresting officer more or less gunning for that individual can put a certain amount of stress on a person. As DWI attorneys, my colleagues and I are always ready to assist accused drunk drivers fight for their rights in court.
Every DWI arrest usually begins with what many would consider a rather routine police stop based on the officer’s observation of what he or she believes is a motor vehicle or traffic law violation. The news is replete with reports about individuals who have been pulled over ostensibly to be cited for a traffic offense, but then determined by the patrolman to have some kind of impairment that makes a DWI or drug DUI arrest a certainty. The following are just a few of the many hundreds or thousands of alcohol and prescription drug-related DWI-DUI arrests that happen every year in the Garden State.
Drunk Motorist Hurts 88-Year-Old in Franklin Twp., NJ
According to news reports, police arrested a 35-year-old driver from Hammonton after he allegedly struck a vehicle being driven by an elderly man in Gloucester County. The crash took on a Thursday morning in August at a little after 11am when a Honda passenger vehicle being operated by Hector Ramos rear-ended a Chrysler sedan along a stretch of Piney Hollow Rd. The force of the collision caused injuries to both men, who were each sent to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ, for treatment.
Police claimed that Ramos attempted to flee the scene but was caught by Franklin Twp. Patrolmen. The suspect was charged with assault by auto, causing injury while driving without a license, leaving the scene of a serious injury accident and DWI. Bail was set by the court at $75,000.
DWI and Drug-related Arrests in West Deptford, NJ
Later that month, a number of drunken driving arrests were made by local police officers including a 34-year-old West Deptford woman who was charged with driving while intoxicated; A 22-year-old male resident of Glendora, NJ, who was stopped by police for an apparent traffic offense, but who was subsequently charged with possession of drug paraphernalia in a vehicle.
Other arrests involved a 29-year-old Eastampton Twp. driver who was arrested following a routine traffic stop on August 12, but who was ultimately slapped with a summons for possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle. A day earlier, a 36-year-old local man was arrested by West Deptford police for possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), as well as possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a hypodermic needle. An 18-year-old driver was arrested and later charged with possession of drug paraphernalia in a motor vehicle. He was eventually released pending a court appearance.
West Deptford crimelog: Heroin, other alleged drug offenses; NJ.com; August 15, 2013
Drunk driver injures 88-year-old Newfield man, tries to flee, authorities say; NJ.com; August 1, 2013