Woman Plays the Race Card During DWI Arrest

Around 6:53 AM on June 29, 2022, Patrolman Justin Mortelliti with the Evesham Township Police Department responded to a call at the Wawa located at 250 W Route 70 involving a female in a black vehicle reported to be slumped over the steering wheel. As he arrived on scene, he observed a black 2014 Mercedes matching the vehicle description. He proceeded to make contact with the occupant of the vehicle, who was identified as 26-year-old Ziasia Lanier. As he began to interact with the driver, he noticed that her speech was slurred and he detected the odor of alcohol in the vehicle. Upon further inspection, Patrolman Mortelliti also noticed that there was a 750 ml bottle of Patron Tequila that was almost empty.

Ziasia initially told the officer that she had been in the parking lot between 5 and 30 minutes after leaving her residence. During the on-scene investigation, Patrolman Jeffrey Weitzman entered the Wawa store to review the surveillance footage, and that revealed that Ziasia had actually been sitting in her vehicle since approximately 3:20 AM. During that time, she was never observed entering the Wawa store. When faced with this, Ziasia revised her story and told Patrolman Mortelliti that she had left a cook-out at a friend’s house that had occurred the evening prior, and that the bottle of Patron Tequila was mostly empty because multiple people had taken shots of it at the cook-out before Ziasia left. Based upon his suspicion of impairment, he offered Ziasia an opportunity to participate in field sobriety exercises.

Patrolman Mortelliti started with the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Ziasia did not walk heel-to-toe in a straight line, used her arms for balance, and failed to count out loud as instructed. The second exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Ziasia counted aloud but abruptly stopped the test after 10 seconds. The final exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, and it was administered by Patrolman Jeffrey Weitzman. Patrolman Weitzman observed the lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation in both eyes, along with the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees in her right eye.

Based on her slurred speech, the odor of alcohol in her vehicle, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman Mortelliti placed Ziasia under arrest for driving under the influence. After she was arrested, she became uncooperative and kept talking about how she felt she was being treated unfairly due to her race. Patrolwoman Franci Garibay arrived on scene around this time and conducted a female search before Ziasia was placed in the patrol car. Her vehicle was impounded under John’s Law. Patrolman Mortelliti subsequently transported Ziasia to the Evesham Township Police Department for processing.

At police HQ, Ziasia was read her Miranda rights along with the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators. Ziasia was uncooperative and refused to submit breath samples. After Ziasia was processed, she was released to her mother pending her court appearance after she signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Ziasia’s behalf. Patrolman Mortelliti issued her the following summonses: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, and refusal to submit to a chemical test

Court records indicate that on October 6, 2022, Ziasia pleaded guilty to operating under the influence. She was ordered to spend 12 hours at an intoxicated driver resource center, use an ignition interlock device for 3 months, and pay a total of $790 in fines. The other citations were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

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