Without a doubt, most all state troopers and municipal patrolmen throughout the Garden State have very little tolerance for those individuals who they suspect of being drunk behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. In fact, it isn’t much of a stretch to suggest that New Jersey’s law enforcement community has zero tolerance for drunken driving on public roads.
As professional DWI-DUI defense attorneys, my colleagues and I have a great deal of experience representing drivers who have run afoul of the law when it comes to DWI and drug DUI violations. Needless to say, our court system is also relatively unyielding when sentencing those people who have been convicted of intoxicated driving. Aside from the often costly and occasionally embarrassing results of a DWI conviction, some defendants who enter a courtroom less than adequately prepared can end up feeling the effects of that drunk driving arrest for years to come.
While many people likely consider that any consequences tied to a DWI or drug DUI conviction are mostly monetary in nature, there are instance where jail time may be prescribed (however, first-time offenders can often avoid that level of punishment with the help of a qualified legal expect). That said, it is best to keep in mind that many people fail to realize the negative effect that a DWI conviction can have on one’s family members, friends and neighbors, and even employers.
In other words, although an arrest for driving under the influence may have long-term effects on one’s financial situation, the chances of such an arrest and conviction affecting a person’s career or social standing are also rather high. Take for instance a recent news story out of Trenton in which a local woman was taken into custody by police after officers realized she was drunk behind the wheel with three young children in the vehicle.
As many other convicted drunk drivers have no doubt recognized in the aftermath of a DWI hearing, driving drunk with one or more children in the car can make for some serious charges well beyond those related to the initial police stop. Going back to the question of long-term effects of a DWI-DUI conviction, simply having been arrested for impaired driving with kids in one’s vehicle may be enough to give a person a very bad reputation with his or her neighbors, relatives and the local community.
Incidents that lead to a charge of child endangerment can begin with a mostly innocuous infraction on the road. But within a short period of time, the police can piece together an unflattering picture of an adult who may have been impaired and transporting children in a potentially dangerous manner. Local prosecutors are also likely to lean very heavily on the court to issue a guilty verdict in such cases where minors are allegedly put in danger.
The recent case in Mercer County involved a 31-year-old Trenton woman who was found by police apparently unconscious in her car, according to reports, due to intoxication by alcohol. Based on news articles, the incident took place when a nine-year-old girl hailed a patrolman in the 600 block of Chambers St. After the officer stopped, the child reportedly stated that she could not wake her mother up in the nearby parked car.
According to news reports, the police found the woman passed out apparently in the front seat, while two other minor children where in the vehicle as well. Officers roused the woman and then took her into custody. The woman was eventually charged with DWI and several counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The court set bail at $75,000 pending a hearing. The New Jersey office of Child Protection and Permanency was called to care for the children as well as to investigate the situation.
Trenton woman is charged with DWI after being found passed out in car with 3 kids, NJ.com, November 6, 2014