20-Year-Old Girl Arrested for SECOND DWI in Less Than 2 Months

Possibly escaping another DWI

Blowing through a stop sign

Around 2:15 AM on July 1, 2023, Patrolman Samuel Greendyk of the Montville Township Police Department was on patrol and he observed a 2009 Dodge Caliber driving in an erratic manner on River Road northbound. He proceeded to follow the vehicle, and he noticed the vehicle was swerving and driving in an almost serpentine fashion. The driver turned onto Kanouse Lane and stopped voluntarily, and he proceeded to activate his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop.

As he approached the vehicle, he made contact with the driver, 20-year-old Karina Armando. Karina told Patrolman Greendyk that she was coming from Thatcher’s, but denied having consumed alcohol in the hours prior. Around this time, Patrolman Thomas French arrived on scene to assist with the traffic stop. Since Karina was under the age of 21 and displayed signs of impairment, Patrolman Greendyk asked her to exit the vehicle so he could perform field sobriety exercises.

The first field sobriety exercise was the recitation of the alphabet from “E” to “P” and Karina was able to do so correctly after a brief pause. The second field sobriety exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Patrolman Greendyk observed a lack of smooth of pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The third exercise was the Walk and Turn test, and Karina failed to walk heel-to-toe while swaying her arms for balance. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and she failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion while displaying a lack of balance.

Based on her erratic driving on River Road, her incoherent statements, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman Greendyk placed Karina under arrest for driving under the influence. She was transported to the Montville Township Police Headquarters for further processing. At Police HQ, Patrolman Greendyk read Karina the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, and she refused to provide breath samples. She also invoked her Miranda rights and refused to answer questions related to her arrest.

Patrolman Greendyk logged her refusal to submit breath samples, and he and Patrolman French attempted to complete the standard questionnaire. Karina refused to answer questions, so they proceeded to go over her summonses and release her pending her first court appearance. After Karina was processed, she was released to her father after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Karina’s behalf. Patrolman Greendyk issued Karina the following summonses: Driving while intoxicated, refusal of breath testing, reckless driving, careless driving, and failure to maintain lane.

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