As Garden State DWI defense attorneys, my aim and that of my team of skilled trial lawyers is to provide legal assistance to motorists who are unjustly accused of driving under the influence of beer, wine, hard liquor, doctor-prescribed medications or even illicit drugs. Whether the charge is simple in-car possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), such as meth, weed or coke, of if the evidence suggests that a driver was illegally operating his or her automobile while impaired by alcohol, we are trained professionals who have many decades of collective experience in this area of the law.
Although it can be argued that the police have a much different take on driving while intoxicated, we understand that errors in judgment do happen from time to time, and not every drunken driving charge will be easily disproved, if at all. In the same way, however, it could be said that along with the extremely large volume of drunk driving arrests and subsequent court cases, that there will inevitably be injustices waiting to happen based on bad evidence or poor procedures on police department’s part.
We see all manner of drunk driving cases moving through our court system, in a variety of courtrooms throughout the Garden State. While New Jersey is not unique when it comes to the variety of DWI scenarios, we always find it interesting to review the different approaches that many motorists use to get themselves in trouble with local and state police. Here are just a few examples from Ocean County, NJ.
Barnegat Twp. Police Arrest Toms River and Other Drivers for DWI
A concerned citizen alerted police to a situation along a stretch of Rte 9 on a Wednesday evening resulting in the arrest of a 43-year-old Toms River resident who was subsequently charged with operating her vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. According to news reports, an officer was flagged down a little past 7pm be a concerned individual near the intersection of Rte 9 and West Bay Ave. Prior to the arrest, officers observed the suspect asleep in her vehicle with the engine running.
A single-car crash along a stretch of Rte 72 resulted in the arrest of a 23-year-old Manahawkin resident by local police officers. Based on news reports, The crash occurred near Warren Grove Rd. just a little before midnight on a Monday. Police arriving on the scene found a vehicle which had hit a utility pole; blood was found inside the vehicle, but the driver was not inside. After a brief search, police located a man walking on the shoulder of Rte 72. The man allegedly attempted to evade the officers by ducking into a wooded area, however the man was eventually found, arrested and charged with DWI and reckless driving, among other charges.
Several other drunk driving-related arrests took place in that same area. Police reports indicate that a 69-year-old local woman was found by police lying in a friend’s driveway after allegedly falling out of her vehicle as it was backing down the driveway. After being treated for minor injuries at Southern Ocean Medical Center, the woman was charged with DWI; her car was also impounded.
A 47-year-old Freehold, NJ, man was arrested by police who found the driver asleep in his parked car, which was sitting on the shoulder just after midnight on St. Patrick’s Day. The police officer reportedly observed that vehicle’s engine was running and its exterior lights were switched on. The man was charged with DWI and his car was impounded by police.
A 19-year-old Forked River man was charged by police with DWI after a policeman pulled the individual over for a traffic offense — the suspect’s vehicle allegedly crossed over the center line of the roadway and briefly entered the opposing lane in which the police officer’s cruiser was travelling. The incident happened at a little before 2am on Sunday.
Ocean County Police Blotter, APP.com, April 11, 2013