Bartender TOTALS Ford Escape Before DWI Arrest

DWI arrests conducted by Dane:

Nicole Fernandez

JaimeLynn Charles

Marina Gjorgjijoska

Around 11:09 PM on August 16, 2022, a witness called the Township of Ocean Police Department to report a motor vehicle accident involving a downed utility pole on Deal Road westbound in the vicinity of Wenning Court. When the officers arrived at the scene, they noticed that a 2011 Ford Escape had struck a utility pole, and the vehicle appeared totaled. They decided that it was unsafe to approach the vehicle because there were live wires. The driver of the Ford, 23-year-old Shelby Kennedy, exhibited signs of impairment. As one of the officers approached Shelby, she immediately asked them to call Officer Dane Richards, who is an officer with the Ocean Police that she knows personally. She continued to ask for Dane repeatedly, even though he was not on patrol at the time of the accident.

Shelby told the officers that she worked at Stella Marina, a popular oceanfront restaurant and bar in Asbury Park, and admitted to consuming alcohol in the hours prior. An ambulance was called to the scene to evaluate Shelby, and she declined further medical attention. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Detective Michael Legg offered Shelby an opportunity to perform field sobriety exercises after she was cleared by EMS. The field sobriety exercises included the recitation of the alphabet, the Walk and Turn test, and the One Leg Stand test. While she was able to recite the alphabet satisfactorily, she was unable walk a straight line during the Walk and Turn test or maintain her balance during the One Leg Stand test.

Based on the accident, Shelby’s admission to coming consuming alcohol earlier while working as a bartender at Stella Marina, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Detective Legg placed Shelby under arrest for driving under the influence. After she was placed under arrest, her bag was searched. While her vehicle had to be towed, Officers waited until they were cleared by the utility company before they approached the vehicle to retrieve her phone.

Shelby was initially transported by Detective Legg to the Neptune Police Department, because the breathalyzer machine at the Ocean Township Police Department was not functional. They read Shelby the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators form and she initially agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Sergeant Robert O’Heney with the Neptune Police began to administer the breathalyzer test, but Shelby was uncooperative and they were unable to obtain adequate breath samples. After multiple attempts, Shelby was charged with refusal to provide breath samples.

After they unsuccessfully attempted to administer the breathalyzer test in Neptune, Shelby was transported back to the Ocean Township Police Department for further processing. She chose to invoke her Constitutional rights and refused to answer questions regarding her consumption of alcohol. After they took her mugshot and finished the paperwork, Shelby was released to a sober individual after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on her behalf.