During the early morning hours of Dec. 5, police took a 31-year-old woman into custody for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and careless driving. The incident occurred by Provost and 13th streets close to the Holland Tunnel in Jersey City.
According to the report, the woman, who was from North Bergen, exited her 2000 Volkswagen Beetle and told a Port Authority Police Officer that she was seeking New Jersey. The law enforcement official said she had watery, red eyes and that she needed assistance to keep from falling down. She also apparently told the law enforcement official that she had been drinking. During the incident, the woman consented to a breath test in which it was found that her blood alcohol content level was three times past the legal limit allowed by New Jersey law.
Being arrested for drunk driving in New Jersey is serious and could result in serious penalties such as hefty fines, a driver’s license suspension, probation or jail time if convicted. In many instances, penalties are more severe when a person has had prior convictions.
However, people facing drunk driving charges may wish to retain an experienced criminal defense attorney who could review the case and offer a robust defense that could result in a positive outcome for the defendant. The attorney could possibly identify weaknesses in the prosecution’s evidence that could lead to the defendant’s charges being lowered or even dropped altogether. Oftentimes, for instance, it may be found that the responding police officer infringed on the defendant’s rights, or the testing equipment was not correctly calibrated when the officer performed the Breathalyzer test, which could result in providing false results. In cases where the charges cannot be lowered, the criminal defense attorney may be able to arrange a plea bargain with the prosecution in an effort to reduce the penalties.
Source: NJ.com, “Woman ‘looking for New Jersey’ in Jersey City charged with DWI”, Caitlin Mota, Dec. 6, 2015
