A 19-year-old woman in New Jersey was accused of driving drunk on Feb. 13. The Forked River woman was spotted by a police officer at 10:48 p.m. According to the officer, the woman struck a curb and then failed to stay in her traffic lane near the intersection of Lacey Road and Lake Barnegat Drive North.
Shortly after the officer noticed the woman hit a curb, he pulled her over at Manchester Avenue and Veterans Way. The woman was taken into custody for DUI and other charges. In addition to one count of driving under the influence, police charged the woman with reckless driving, underage consumption of alcohol, driving with an open container of alcohol and failure to maintain lane. After the woman was taken into custody, authorities impounded her vehicle in accordance with John’s Law.
People who have had their vehicles seized after an alleged drunk driving incident may want to have the assistance of a criminal defense attorney. John’s Law allows New Jersey police the right to seize vehicles of suspected impaired drivers and to hold them for up to 12 hours, so legal counsel might assist in getting a client’s car returned within the statutory period.
Though police may conduct a traffic stop after watching a driver run into a curb, this is not necessarily an indication that the driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Accordingly, having legal counsel in such a situation may be advisable as well. An attorney might argue that the traffic violation in question was the result of distraction or exhaustion, which while perhaps negligent, does not rise to the level of a criminal offense.
Source: Lacey Patch, “Forked River Woman Facing DUI, Numerous Alcohol-Related Charges,” Patricia A. Miller, Feb. 19, 2016
