Impaired Woman Nearly Falls Over while Doing Field Sobriety Exercises before DWI Arrest

On March 27, 2022 around 4:56 PM, officers with the Evesham Township Police Department were notified by the neighboring Medford Township Police Department of a possibly intoxicated driver in the near vicinity. The caller had told police that a woman was driving a 2011 Honda Accord through the drive- thru of a Burger King and was headed on Route 70 westbound towards Evesham Township. Since the caller was able to provide police with the license plate number, a search of the vehicle’s registration yielded an address at a townhome in Evesham Township.

Patrolman Thomas Anderson advised dispatch to place him on the call because he would be heading towards that residential neighborhood to wait for the vehicle to arrive. While he was initially unable to locate the suspect vehicle in front of the residence, he waited near the entrance of the residential development. Eventually, a driver operating the gray Honda Accord matching the witness description and license plate number was observed driving into the neighborhood. The driver would later be identified as Mary.

Patrolman Anderson observed Mary stop at a stop sign for an extended period of time before heading towards her residence. After she pulled into the driveway of her residence around 5:17 PM, he initiated a traffic stop. Mary was advised she was being recorded along with the reason why she was being stopped. Patrolman Anderson told Mary that someone had reported a possibly intoxicated driver who was operating the vehicle in question.

As he was speaking with Mary, he observed that her eyes indicated signs of impairment. When he asked her where she was coming from, Mary told the officer that she had went to get her nails done, and then gotten food from a drive-thru at Burger King before heading home. When additional units arrived on scene, Patrolman Anderson asked Mary to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises.

Patrolman Anderson started with the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Mary did not remain in the starting position, failed to walk heel-to-toe in a straight line, took an incorrect number of steps, and nearly fell to her side. The second exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Mary failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion while using her arms for balance. The final exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, and it was administered by Patrolman Thomas Capecci. Patrolman Capecci 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 incoherent speech and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman Anderson placed Mary under arrest for driving under the influence. After she was placed under arrest, she was searched by Sergeant Laura Paul, who also allowed her to use the restroom inside her residence before she was transported to the police station. Since the vehicle was legally parked in a residential driveway and her husband was able to take custody of her vehicle, they decided to not impound the vehicle. Patrolman Anderson subsequently transported Mary to the Evesham Township Police Department for processing.

At police HQ, Mary was read her Miranda rights along with the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, and she agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Patrolman Brian Fitzpatrick administered the Alcotest machine and her results indicated a BAC level of 0.10%, which is more than the legal limit of 0.08%. After Mary was processed, Patrolman Derrick Verduchi transported her back to her residence. She was ultimately released to her husband after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Mary’s behalf. Patrolman Anderson issued her the following summonses: Operating under the influence and reckless driving

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

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.