There is no doubt in our minds that the average person can be rattled by a police officer stopping him for a moving violation. The fact is, only a small percentage of the general public ever comes in contact with a law enforcement officer during their daily activities. This means that the only time that most people ever encounter a state trooper or municipal patrolman is when they have done something wrong in traffic and are pulled over for a routine violation.
When that happens, it is not uncommon for some individuals to act nervous or anxious , fumble with their license and registration paperwork, and generally have a tremble to their voice; some of the very behaviors that police officers may point to as signs of possible inebriation. As New Jersey DWI defense lawyers, my legal team is well aware of the difficult situation that any police stop poses for some drivers.
Of course, being asked if one has had anything to drink prior to getting behind the wheel can sometimes turn an anxious motorist into a DWI suspect just moments away from an arrest. If it does happen, and you are taken into custody and charged with alcohol or drug-related impaired driving, it does become a serious situation. At that point, calling on an experienced drunken driving defense attorney can often be the next best step to fighting a DWI-DUI summons.
Here in the Garden State, drunken driving arrests are so frequent that the news outlets can have a hard time keeping up. Although the warmer months can have a high frequency of traffic stops that turn into intoxicated driving arrests, the whole year ’round there are always dozens of people from every walk of life being charged with driving under the influence. For some, the potential cost of a conviction can be a serious hardship from a financial standpoint.
The potential for a DWI-DUI arrest in any county across New Jersey is never too low. Each week, we come across numerous news articles and other media stories about arrests involving alleged drunk drivers, people caught with drugs and paraphernalia, as well as accidents in which an involved motorist is taken to police headquarters to be formally charged with a DWI-related crash.
The following incidents are just a selection of the typical DWI, drug DUI, CDS possession and alcohol-related accidents that are pulled from police blotters all across the Garden State. From Ocean or Atlantic County to Bergen, Hudson or Monmouth County, more than a few people have similar experiences with members of the state patrol and local police departments. Here are just a few:
Injured Motorcyclist Arrested for Drunk Driving following Crash
According to news articles, a resident of Oakland, NJ, lost control of his motorcycle along a stretch of Colonial Rd. near the intersection of Summit in the late evening hours on a Saturday. Franklin Lakes police officers believed that the after he lost control, the man’s bike slid onto the shoulder of the roadway and then hit a nearby curb.
Upon investigation, police officials stated that the injured man, who was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with moderate injuries, was eventually arrested on charges of drunken driving. Other charges included reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle while on a suspended driver’s license, and driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle. No other cars were involved in the incident, according to police reports.
Rutherford Man Arrested for DWI after Failing to Stop
In the early morning hours, North Arlington patrolmen saw a motor vehicle fail to stop at the red traffic signal at the crossroads of Ridge Rd. and Belleville Tpk. According to police reports, officers initiated a traffic stop, during which they detected the odor of alcohol on the 23-year-old motorist’s breath. As a result, the Rutherford resident was asked to perform a field sobriety test, which he allegedly could not pass. The driver was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to obey a traffic signal, and careless driving. He was taken into custody and his vehicle was impounded.
North Arlington Driver Gets DUI after Falling Asleep in Parking Lot
Just before 3am police were called to the scene of a possible drunk driving incident. Observing a motor vehicle in Duncan Donuts parking lot with its motor running, the patrolmen reportedly saw the driver “slumped” over the steering wheel. Officers then woke up the 32-year-old motorist and requested that he perform a field sobriety test. According to the news article, the man failed the test and was taken into custody. He was charged with intoxicated driving, as well as operating motor vehicle while on a suspended driver’s license. The individual was eventually released to a responsible individual pending a court hearing.
Man Injured in Motorcycle Accident Charged with DWI, Cops Say; Patch.com; November 25, 2013