On Feb. 20, a New Jersey woman was taken into police custody after she was accused of driving drunk and tailgating a police vehicle. The report stated that the 50-year-old woman had a minor child in the vehicle with her when the incident occurred.
An officer stated that he observed a 2013 Lexus following his vehicle too closely as he traveled along Route 15 in Sparta. After running the vehicle’s registration, he learned that it was expired and conducted a traffic stop. He stated that he suspected that the woman behind the wheel was under the influence of alcohol, so he had her take a series of sobriety tests. She failed them and was ultimately taken into police custody.
Following the incident, she was charged with multiple offenses, including DWI, following a vehicle too closely, expired registration and other offenses. Additionally, she was criminally charged with DWI with a minor in the vehicle.
Drivers who have been accused of operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol could potentially face serious consequences that may include a jail sentence, a suspension of their license and expensive fines. A criminal law attorney may draft a strategy to protect the defendant against the DUI charge. For example, the attorney may have evidence that the defendant was suffering from a medical condition that caused the appearance of being under the influence. Legal counsel may also argue that the breath device was not properly calibrated, which caused it to provide inaccurate results. Further, the attorney may also seek to have the charges dismissed if the officer did not follow proper procedures when conducting the traffic stop.
Source: Rumson Patch, “Rumson Woman Charged with DUI After Tailgating Police Car“, Carly Baldwin, Feb. 21, 2017
