Every day in the Garden State, local and state police stop drivers for a variety of traffic violations. Some of these individuals are suspected of drunken driving, arrested and charged with DWI, drug DUI, or possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle. As New Jersey drunk driving defense lawyers, our job is to represent people who feel they have been unjustly accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or prescription medication (drug DUI).
Many DWI or DUI arrests start out as a simple traffic stop conducted by a municipal patrolman or state trooper. Whether the incident occurs in Bergen, Ocean, Sussex or Atlantic County, the scenarios can be quite similar, although the particular details — such as field sobriety test results, breathalyzer (or Alcotest) readings, or failure to submit to a breath or blood test — vary between cases.
The following is a brief list from police blotters illustrating the kinds of drunken driving arrests that can happen from one day to the next. Not every person is guilty, but it is always advisable to consult with a qualified DWI defense attorney to understand your particular circumstances.
Middletown Township
A local police officer working an early morning traffic patrol responded to a report of a car crash along a stretch of Belmont Ave. where a motor vehicle had apparently hit a fence and subsequently left the scene of the accident. After a brief investigation, the officer cruised around the local streets looking for the suspect vehicle, which he allegedly found parked in from of a local residence. The 19-year-old owner of the vehicle was arrested and charged with DWI, reckless driving, failure to report an accident and open alcohol in a motor vehicle. The woman was processed and then released pending a court appearance.
During the early morning hours, Middletown Twp. Police officers responded to a report of an individual slumped over the steering wheel of a parked car. Arriving on the scene, the officers found a 41-year-old Hazlet, NJ, man in the driver’s seat. Police reports indicate that the suspect had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. The driver was subsequently arrested and charged with DWI, refusal to submit to a breathalyzer, driving under a suspended license and reckless driving. The man was processed and later released pending a mandatory court appearance.
In the early evening, a police officer on foot patrol at Ideal Beach observed an apparently underage female sitting on a blanket with what appeared to be a bottle of liquor. Upon investigation, the patrolman determined that the woman was a 17-year-old juvenile and that the bottle contained vodka. She was subsequently arrested and charged with underage possession of an alcoholic beverage. She was processed at police headquarters and then released pending a future court date.
In the course of a late evening patrol, officers responded to a report of an unresponsive person inside a motor vehicle in front of a residence. Arriving on the scene the police identified the individual as a 24-year-old local resident of Middletown, NJ. During their investigation, officers uncovered what they suspected as a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) and which was later determined to be heroin. The driver and his passenger, a 20-year-old female, were arrested and charged with possession of heroin. The driver was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and held on $10,000 bail. The woman was released pending a future court appearance.
Holmdel Three individuals were charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol all on the same day in Holmdel, NJ. According to various police reports, a 21-year-old man from Middletown was stopped on Poole Ave. and charged with DWI. Another male driver, a 27-year-old Keyport resident, was stopped Holmdel Towne Center for drunken driving; the man was also charged with possession of CDS, allegedly including Oxycodone and Alprazolam. Finally, a 49-year-old man from Keansburg, NJ, was stopped along Laurel Avenue and subsequently charged with intoxicated driving.
A 26-year-old Cranberry Township man was apparently the subject of a routine traffic stop along a stretch of Crawfords Corner Rd in Holmdel. That individual was eventually charged with marijuana possession in a vehicle.
The following day a 20-year-old out-of-state motorist was pulled over by Holmdel police on Crawfords Corner Rd. for what was probably a routine traffic stop, but which turned out to be a case of underage possession of an alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle.
Police Blotter: DWI, Drugs and Shoplifting, Patch.com, June 5, 2011
On the Beat with Middletown Police: Arresting Update, Patch.com, June 7, 2011