As DWI and drug DUI defense attorneys, the legal team at my firm has made it their job to represent those Garden State drivers who have been charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, doctor-prescribed meds, and even illegal substances (also known as controlled dangerous substances or CDS). As experienced trial lawyers, we certainly understand how quickly an average motorist can find himself in the custody of a local cop or state trooper after being arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated.
Here in New Jersey, DWI enforcement can be such that more than a few otherwise law-abiding citizens can end up before a judge pleading their innocence on a drunken driving or drug DWI charge. Especially when anti-drunk driving campaigns are going full tilt, but even when things may seem to be mostly quiet arrests can and do occur quite frequently. Hundreds of roadside stops for traffic violations are made every day around this state, and a percent of those may end up with a driver taken into police headquarters for a breath test.
Of course, New Jersey is in no way unique, but it certainly does see its fair share of inebriated drivers plying the roadways. Whether those motorists are legally drunk is for a court to decide, which is why we recommend that anyone accused of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs talk to a qualified legal expert in the field of drunk driving law.
Whether the charge involves consumption of beer, wine, hard liquor, prescription drugs or illicit substances like marijuana, cocaine or meth, the odds of being convicted of a DWI or drug DUI can be quite high if a motorist decides to go it alone or simply plead guilty to the charges in front of a judge.
Naturally, it is hardly in anyone’s interest to plead guilty right off the bat, though some people may feel that they “had it coming.” But, to be sure, contacting an experienced DWI defense lawyer is never a bad idea and could result in a better outcome than if a defendant walks into a courtroom alone.
All around our state, people find themselves being stopped by police for any number of seemingly simple traffic offenses or vehicle equipment infractions. A percentage of these motorists can often find themselves arrested for DWI or being handed a summons for drug DUI or possession in a motor vehicle. The following news items from the Monmouth County illustrate some of the typical scenarios that can take place almost anywhere across the Garden State.
Middletown Twp. Police Arrest Handful of Drivers for DWI and Other Offenses
Over the course of about 11 days, Middletown patrolmen charged at least eight individuals with driving while intoxicated. In one three-day span, officers arrested a 36-year-old Highlands woman, a 19-year-old man from Colts Neck and a 55-year-old lady from Holmdel, NJ, with DWI. In the first instance, the Highlands resident was also hit with breath test refusal.
In another two-day stretch, patrolmen caught another 19-year-old male driver from Leonardo, NJ, a 34-year-old female motorist from Oceanport, a 37-year-old man from Keansburg, NJ, and a 28-year-old Morganville man, all for DWI. The Morganville resident also received a summons for refusing to submit to a Breathalyzer test. A few days after that string of arrests, police took a 53-year-old local man into custody for both DWI and breath test refusal.
During that 11-day period, Middletown officers arrested four teenagers for underage possession of alcohol; they included a 17-year-old juvenile from Belford and a 14-year-old juvenile from Leonardo, both males, as well as a 16-year-old female also from Leonardo, plus an 18-year-old male from Atlantic Highlands, NJ. Each where processed and eventually released pending a court hearing.
MIDDLETOWN: EIGHT CHARGED WITH DWI, RedbankGreen.com, September 3, 2013