Bergen County DWI Defense

September 4, 2009

Bergen County, NJ, Police Blotter: DWI and Marijuana / Drug DUI News

Everyday, New Jersey motorists are stopped by local and state police for drunk driving offenses, as well as driving under the influence of prescription or illegal drugs. As a New Jersey DWI and drug DUI defense lawyer, I and my staff of attorneys and experienced legal professionals work diligently to defend drivers wrongly accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and other substances. The following news items represent the types of cases we handle on a day-to-day basis.

East Rutherford
A Hackensack man was arrested on August 11 in the late evening for drunk driving, breath test refusal and careless driving. The 57-year-old was picked up after he was involved in an accident on Swan Court. The driver’s 1990 Mercury was impounded and he was later released to the custody of his daughter.

A man in his late 50s was arrested on July 24 for possession of cocaine, having an expired inspection sticker on his vehicle, possession of drugs in a motor vehicle and operating a car with an open container of alcohol. The arrest occurred after the man was stopped at a DWI checkpoint on Paterson Avenue and Everett Place. He was subsequently released on summonses to his wife.

A 39-year-old from Rochester, N.Y., was arrested on August 11 in the early morning hours after he made an illegal U-turn on Route 17. The man was stopped by a patrol car and charged with DWI, refusal to submit to a breath test, illegal U-turn, careless driving and failure to signal. The driver was held in the local jail until he was deemed sober.

North Arlington
An 18-year-old, 19-year-old and 16-year-old juvenile, all from Kearny, were arrested in the early morning of July for possession of marijuana. The arrest occurred following an inquiry at Fisher Field off Sixth Street where police reportedly found a large quantity of cigar materials and marijuana on the pavement in the park, plus two bags of marijuana in the suspects’ car. The adults were released on summonses and the juvenile was released to his parents.

A 39-year-old man from North Arlington was arrested on July 25 for drunk driving, refusal to submit to a breath test, failure to keep right and careless driving. The traffic stop happened on Sunset and Prospect avenues. According to reports, the man’s car was impounded and he was subsequently released to a responsible party pending a court appearance.
Continue reading

August 25, 2009

North Bergen, NJ, Police Arrest Bellville Man for DWI Injury Accident

by Jonathan F. Marshall

A recent accident at a roadway construction site in North Bergen was allegedly caused by a drunk driver who injured a construction worker at the site and also hurt a pregnant woman in another vehicle. As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, my office has represented numerous clients involved in similar accidents over the years. As an experienced attorney and former municipal prosecutor, I know how to defend such cases. In this instance, the driver was charged by police with several offenses including driving while intoxicated.

Reports indicate that while construction workers were changing a signal arrow board outside of the construction area near 91st Street, Angelo Lopez of Belleville, NJ, who was driving north on Tonnelle Avenue, appeared to try and go around a green 1995 Honda, but hit the car instead. According to witnesses, the 35-year-old driver was reportedly weaving in and out of traffic in his 2004 Audi sedan prior to the accident at the construction site.

Lopez allegedly hit the Honda, driven by an 8-month pregnant woman, forcing the woman’s car off the roadway and into one of the construction workers, causing the man to be forced to the ground, police said. The worker was treated for minor injuries to his leg. Both the pregnant woman and the construction worker were taken to Palisades Medical Center.

July 25, 2009

Police Blotter: Bergen County Drug DUI and DWI Arrests

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Police throughout Bergen County had a number of dunk driving and drug DUI arrests during the first half of July. With an office in Jersey City, our drunk driving defense attorneys can handle your Bergen County DWI, DUI or breath test refusal case quickly and efficiently. We represent many clients who have experienced situations not unlike the following driving while intoxicated arrests published in the local press.

Carlstadt — A 56-year-old man from Ridgefield Park allegedly passed out and hit a brand new 2009 Honda Accord parked on Sixth Street near Berry Avenue this past July 9. Police arrested the man for careless driving and also found 52.6 grams of marijuana in the suspect’s vehicle, as well as 54 tablets of Alprazolam. Discovery of the drugs caused the officers to write the man up for possessing drugs in a motor vehicle, being under the influence of drugs, possession of marijuana, or weed, and possession of drug paraphernalia, specifically rolling papers. The man was then transported to Hackensack University Medical Center.

Carlstadt — A Kearny man was stopped in the early morning hours of July 16 for speeding on southbound Route 17. During the stop, police determined that the 20-year-old man was intoxicated and allegedly had drug paraphernalia in his car. Officers then charged the man with driving under the influence of alcohol, possession of drugs in a car, careless driving, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia (plastic dime bags). He was released on summonses to a responsible party.

July 23, 2009

All-terrain Vehicle Rider Arrested for Drunk Driving in Morris County

by Jonathan F. Marshall

It’s not uncommon for some New Jersey residents to mix recreational off-road riding with alcohol, though the two hardly go well together. Whether it’s a motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile or dirt bike, driving while intoxicated can be dangerous. The New Jersey State Police, as well as local law enforcement agencies, keep a watch for drunk drivers on- and off-road. During the summer, boaters caught piloting their powerboats while under the influence of alcohol also run the risk of being arrested for DWI.

Recently, a Bergen County man was stopped for riding his all-terrain vehicle on private property. The criminal trespass charges would have been bad enough, but Mount Olive police also noticed that the rider was intoxicated. As a New Jersey drunk driving defense attorney, my firm has defended folks like Piotr Dabek, the owner of that ATV. He was caught near Crease Road last Sunday after neighbors called police to report a stranger riding his ATV on private property.

According to reports, Dabek tried to run from the Mount Olive police officer dispatched to the scene. After a short foot chase through a wooded area, the officer caught up to the 30-year-old suspect. Bringing Dabek back to his patrol car, the officer gave the man several field sobriety tests, including a balance test, which Dabek failed. The officer then placed him under arrest and charged the man with DWI and criminal trespass. Police also impounded Dabek’s all-terrain vehicle.
Continue reading

July 16, 2009

East Rutherford Man with 15 Career DWIs to be Sentenced by Morris County Court

by Jonathan F. Marshall

There are just some people that you can’t help. As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I have represented many multiple drunk driving offenders, but few like Shaun Campbell of Bergen County, New Jersey. Most of the clients I have worked with learn their lesson and try to make a clean start of things following a brush with the law as it applies to driving under the influence of alcohol. But other people convicted of driving while intoxicated go back and make the same mistakes over and over again. So it has been for Mr. Campbell.

According to reports, the 40-year-old Campbell had his license suspended nearly 80 times during his 22-year driving career. His admission of guilt to his 15th DWI charge was the latest in a string of convictions. This particular case involved an April head-on collision in Morris Township when Campbell, self-described as being plastered on beer, drove his sport utility vehicle into a Ford pickup truck driven by a Chatham man and carrying that man’s four-year-old daughter. Luckily, no one was killed.

Campbell pled guilty to assault by auto, DWI and driving while on the revoked list. The Morris County assistant prosecutor has recommended that Campbell receive the maximum sentence of 18 months in prison for the assault by auto, and consecutive 180-day terms on the drunken-driving and revoked license charges. He also recommended that Campbell receive an extra 90-day term as an enhanced penalty on the license revocation offense.

June 16, 2009

Bergen County, NJ, Drunk Driving and Marijuana DUI Police Blotter

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Lyndhurst — a 52-year-old driver was picked up for driving under the influence of alcohol during the evening of May 14. The Rutherford, New Jersey, resident was arrested for DWI, possessing an open alcoholic beverage container in his car, careless driving, as well as improper parking. The incident occurred in the parking lot at 540 New York Avenue in Lyndhurst. According to police reports, the man’s vehicle was observed parked partially in the parking lot and partially in the roadway. After being charged for drunk driving, as well as the other offenses, he released to Hackensack University Medical Center.

Lyndhurst — Hours later, during the early morning of May 15, a 41-year-old man from Milton, MA, was also arrested for driving while intoxicated, as well as refusing to submit to a breath test following a motor vehicle stop on Ridge Road near New Jersey Avenue. Prior to being released to a responsible party, the man was also charged with being an unlicensed driver, careless driving and failure to maintain a lane.

North Arlington — During a routine motor vehicle stop in the late evening of May 8, police reportedly detected the odor of burnt marijuana in a vehicle at Ilford and Prospect avenues. Police determined that both a 16-year-old male from North Arlington and the driver, a 17-year-old male from Lyndhurst, had smoked marijuana. The passenger was charged with being under the influence of marijuana and released to his parents. The driver was charged with having tinted windows, violating his provisional driver’s license for having four people in the car, DWI and being under the influence of marijuana. He was also released to his parents.

June 15, 2009

Bergen County Drunk Driving Crash Sends New Jersey Postal Employee to Hospital

by Jonathan F. Marshall

An allegedly drunk out-of-state driver caused a severe traffic accident in Closter, New Jersey, when he blew past a stop sign in his SUV and struck a sedan driven by a career postal employee, sending that man to the hospital with multiple injuries. The DWI traffic accident occurred today at West Street and Harrington Avenue where Kevin Greutert, 57, ended up being pinned in his vehicle until rescue workers could get him free and transported to Hackensack University Medical Center.

According to police reports, Patrick Martin Doyle, a resident of New York, was moving south on West Street in a white Nissan Pathfinder. As he approached the Harrington Avenue intersection, he apparently didn’t notice the stop sign and slammed into an Oldsmobile sedan being driven eastbound by Greutert, a resident of River Edge, NJ.

Greutert, a 30-year employee with the U.S. Postal Service, suffered a fractured pelvis and a collapsed lung, as well as a number of other minor injuries, according to Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor John Higgins, who also heads the county’s Fatal Accident Unit.

May 21, 2009

Bergen County, NJ: DWI / Marijuana DUI Arrests

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Lyndhurst — A 52-year-old New Jersey man was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol last week on Thursday evening when police found the allegedly intoxicated suspect in his car, which was parked and partially blocking the roadway on New York Avenue. In addition to drunk driving, he was charged with having an open alcohol container in his vehicle, as well as careless driving. Reports stated he was released to Hackensack University Medical Center.

Lyndhurst — Early on May 15, an out-of-state man was arrested for DWI following a motor vehicle stop on Ridge Road. Police charged him with driving under the influence of alcohol after they noticed he was unable to keep his vehicle properly in his lane. The 41-year-old driver refused to submit to breath test. He was charged with not carrying a driver’s license and careless driving, then released on summonses to a responsible party.

North Arlington — Police reported a motor vehicle stop on May 8 at Ilford and Prospect avenues. Officers detected the odor of burnt marijuana and determined a 16-year-old male passenger from North Arlington and the 17-year-old male driver from Lyndhurst, had been smoking marijuana. The passenger and driver were both charged with being under the influence of marijuana. The driver was also charged with DWI and violating his provisional driver’s license for having four people in the car.

May 18, 2009

New Jersey DWI and Marijuana DUI Police Blotter

by Jonathan F. Marshall

East Rutherford — A 29-year-old local man was picked up for drunk driving in the late evening of Wednesday, May 6, following a minor accident on Patterson Avenue. The allegedly intoxicated driver was arrested for DWI, as well as for not maintaining a vehicle in safe condition, failure to produce a driver’s license, driving on a suspended license, lack of insurance and failure to report a change of address. The suspect also refused a breathalyzer test. According to police, the man’s vehicle hit a curb, which blew out one of his tires. He admitted to officers that he did not have his driver’s license due to it being suspended for a previous DWI conviction. He was later released.

North Arlington — A 47-year-old resident of Belleville, New Jersey, was arrested in the early morning of May 8 for a series of offenses, including driving while intoxicated, careless driving, parking his car on the sidewalk and refusing to take a breath test. The man reportedly sped into a Chase Bank parking lot, where the observing police officer was parked in a marked police cruiser. The man reportedly stopped his car, stumbled out and staggered to the bank’s cash machine. Upon returning to his car, the officer approached the man and gave him a field sobriety test, which he failed. The man also refused a breath test, after which he was arrested and taken into custody. The vehicle was impounded and the man was later released to a third party the vehicle.

Princeton — In a possible marijuana DUI arrest, a 35-year-old Lawrence, NJ, man was charged for driving down Paul Robeson Place while intoxicated and in possession of marijuana. The man was arrested following a 12:15 a.m. vehicle stop the morning of Friday, May 13, and taken into the borough police headquarters. He was later released on his own recognizance. Police reports show that the man was charged with DWI, as well as possession of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia, however, there was no indication what the suspected intoxicating substance was.

April 1, 2009

New Jersey DWI Police Blotter

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Carlstadt — A 68-year-old man from Astoria, New York, was arrested March 21 at 12:18 a.m. for DWI, drunk driving within 1,000 feet of a school zone, and parking in a no-parking zone. The man was charged and later released to the custody of his wife.

East Rutherford — On March 29, a 37-yeal-old man from Garfield, NJ, was arrested for DWI and several other charges following a motor vehicle accident on Railroad Avenue. In addition to drunk driving, the man was also charged with driving while suspended, reckless driving and careless driving, as well as possession of drug paraphernalia. According to police, the driver fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed his 2006 Dodge Durango into two parked cars. Authorities released the man on summonses once he had become sober.

East Rutherford — A 21-year-old woman from Rutherford, New Jersey, was arrested March 27 at 2:17 a.m. for drunk driving, refusal to submit to a breathalyzer, careless driving and leaving the an accident scene. According to the report, a 1999 Ford Explorer belonging to the woman had struck a utility pole on Hackensack Street near Union Avenue, however the driver was missing from the scene. Police said both airbags were deployed in the abandoned vehicle, and that there was a crack in windshield with hair stuck in it. Police charged the driver when she returned to the scene a while later. She was subsequently released to a friend.