Given the current automotive landscape here in New Jersey, there is more than a good chance that a fair percentage of the population either personally knows of or has heard about someone who has been stopped by the police for some kind of traffic infraction during the last year or so. Of that broad group, the are usually some individuals who have been stopped and subsequently arrested and issued a summons for drunken driving or impaired vehicle operation due to some kind of controlled substance.
Whether one is charged with DWI or drug DUI, the need to find professional legal representation jumps to the top of the list of important decisions following such an event. While most drivers who are charged with drunken driving typically find themselves stopped for what may have seemed like a minor traffic infraction, there is a smaller group that receive DWI-DUI summonses at late-night sobriety checkpoints, otherwise referred to as DWI roadblocks.
Many of the random instances involving drunk driving and drug DUI police stops end up being published in the so-called police blotter sections of many Garden State media outlets. Although many traffic stops, which turn out to be alcohol- or drug-related, may not be all that remarkable, there is often a common theme that comes up again and again. And while the drivers’ names and arrest locations can, of course, be unique to those individual events, there can be seen patterns of stops and subsequent arrests.
The following instances were reported in Morris County not too long ago. The names have been withheld; however, it is instructional to understand how easily many of these DWI, DUI and drug possession arrests took place after a traffic stop was initiated.
The first of several arrests involved a 35-year-old Dover man who was stopped on a Sunday by local police officers in the Randolph Twp. area for what was likely a routine traffic stop. During the roadside investigation, according to the news article, the patrolmen noticed that the driver had a “strong odor” of alcohol on his breath. The suspect was then arrested and served with a summons for drinking and driving, as well as a number of related motor vehicle infractions.
Two day later, a police officer pulled another motorist over after apparently observing one or more traffic infractions. Based on reports, while interviewing the 24-year-old Warren County woman, the patrolman stated that he detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage coming from the inside of the vehicle. The driver was taken into custody and transported to the local police headquarters for processing.
On another occasion, 61-year-old out-of-state man was pulled over by Randolph police officers after they observed a car traveling at a high rate of speed along a portion of Rte 10. In the process of investigating the suspect and his vehicle, the policeman said he detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from within the vehicle. The driver was subsequently arrested and charged with DWI, plus other moving violations.
In a similar episode, one of Randolph Twp.’s officers had pulled a vehicle over for what must have been one or more traffic offenses. During the roadside police stop, the patrolman noticed the smell of pot emanating from the vehicle’s interior. The 24-year-old driver from the Newark, NJ, area was taken into custody and charged with possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, as well as possessing drug paraphernalia. Additional summonses were also issued by police for the alleged initial moving violations.
On a Friday that same week, a woman from the Mount Olive area was pulled over by police after officers reportedly observed a vehicle being driven in a reckless manner. The 21-year-old driver was arrested after police apparently observed evidence of intoxication. According to authorities, she was taken to police headquarters and issued summonses for drunk driving and failing to observe traffic lanes.
Randolph Township Police make numerous DWI, drug possession arrests; NewJerseyHills.com; September 22, 2014