It’s a fact that being convicted of drunken driving or drug DUI in another state can have the same effect as getting a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol here in New Jersey. As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I remind people that defending a motorist in cases of administrative suspension — or when an out-of-state drunk driving conviction may be used for sentencing purposes — is something an experienced DWI defense attorney is well-equipped to handle.
In the instance of an administrative suspension based on an out-of-state drinking and driving offense, New Jersey typically imposes that period of suspension which would be provided for under New Jersey law. That is to say, New Jersey’s Division of Motor Vehicles would consider the type of conviction in terms of how many previous DWI offenses that particular conviction represents (e.g. a first, second, or third violation).
Recently, an out-of-state driver was arrested and charged with DWI after hitting a Jersey City police car in a late night accident. The man, 44-year-old Michael B. Kelley, was also issued a summons for refusing to submit to a breath test following his arrest.
The accident occurred on Tonnelle Avenue just after 11pm. A police car was reportedly stopped at Tonnelle and County Road at the scene of an injury accident when Kelley’s pickup truck apparently side-swiped the marked police car. The office in charge said that the driver appeared to continue on showing no intention of stopping following the collision.
Police officers pulled the man over not far from the original wreck. The patrolmen reported that the suspect’s eyes were bloodshot, his clothes were in a disheveled condition and he slurred his words while staggering outside of his vehicle. Furthermore, the man’s Dodge pickup had obvious impact damage and a flat tire.
New York man charged with DWI after crashing into Jersey City police vehicle, NJ.com,
March 18, 2010