Woman Arrested for DWI after Leaving The Chubby Pickle

Around 10:46 PM on June 8, 2023, Sergeant Kevin O’Donnell of the Highlands Police Department was on patrol on Bay Avenue and he observed a 2012 Toyota without headlights weaving between lanes. He proceeded to follow the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop on Route 36 northbound near Highlands Elementary School. He approached the vehicle and made contact with the driver, who was identified as 23-year-old Alexa Turk.

Alexa told Sergeant O’Donnell that she had attended a work event earlier that evening in Asbury Park, and she later came to The Chubby Pickle in Highlands to meet some friends. Alexa admitted to having consumed 2 drinks in the hours prior, but Sergeant O’Donnell suspected that she had consumed more. Based on his suspicion of impairment, he radioed for another unit to come and assist him as he administered field sobriety exercises. Patrolman Hartsgrove arrived on scene shortly afterwards.

Sergeant O’Donnell started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Sergeant O’Donnell observed a lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The second field sobriety exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During this exercise, Alexa failed to walk heel-to-toe, lost her balance after the sixth step, and walked back 20 steps instead of the 9 steps she had been instructed to take. The third field sobriety exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Alexa failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and placed her foot down multiple times. The final exercise was the Alphabet test, and Alexa failed to recite the alphabet in the correct sequence.

Based on her erratic driving patterns, her incoherent statements, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman Hartsgrove placed Alexa under arrest for driving under the influence. Alexa was initially transported by Patrolman Hartsgrove to the Atlantic Highlands Police Department because they were unable to administer the breathalyzer test at their own station. Sergeant Brian Phair with the Atlantic Highlands Police Department read Alexa the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, and she agreed to provide breath samples.

Sergeant Phair administered the Alcotest machine after Alexa agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC of 0.083%, which was just over the legal limit of 0.08%. After the breathalyzer test was administered, Alexa was transported back to the Highlands Police Department.

After Alexa was processed at Highlands Police HQ, she was able to call her boyfriend to give her a ride home. After waiting at Highlands Police HQ for a while, she was eventually released to her boyfriend pending her first court appearance after he signed Potential Liability Warning form on Alexa’s behalf. Patrolman Hartsgrove issued Alexa the following summonses: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, driving without headlights, and failure to possess insurance card.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Donations will be used to acquire more public footage related to law enforcement activities.

Our content is educational and in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2001, c. 404). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.

The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.