Incoherent Woman in Pajamas Arrested for SECOND DWI

Her Future Car Accident

Around 2:10 AM on May 16, 2022, Patrolman Joseph LaBella with the Atlantic Highlands Police Department was on patrol in the vicinity of Highway 36 westbound and Avenue D. An eastbound passerby flagged him down and told him that another vehicle had struck a median and that she was likely to be under the influence. As he moved into the eastbound lane, he observed a 2015 Nissan run through 2 red lights at Grand Avenue and First Avenue.

As the vehicle continued driving eastbound, the driver failed to move for about 20 seconds after the light turned green at the intersection on Valley Drive. Patrolman LaBella observed the vehicle was continuing to swerve and he saw the driver strike the curb on the grass median. He activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop after the intersection with Highway 36 and Navesink Avenue, but the driver stopped in the left lane instead of pulling onto the shoulder.

The driver of this vehicle, Rafaela Rea, had previously been stopped by Sergeant Travis Sodon at 1:30 AM, and Sergeant Sodon and Patrolman Flores arrived on scene to assist with this traffic stop. Patrolman LaBella made contact with Rafaela and did not detect the odor of alcohol. While Rafaela denied consuming alcohol or being under the influence, he noticed that there were various medications in plain view inside the vehicle, and suspected that Rafaela may be impaired. Based on the officers’ suspicion of impairment, Rafaela was asked to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety testing.

The first exercise involved the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, and Sergeant Sodon observed a lack of smooth pursuit and indicated to Patrolman LaBella that Rafaela was displaying signs of impairment. The second exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and it was administered by Patrolman LaBella. During the One Leg Stand test, Rafaela lost her balance after 7 seconds during the first attempt. When she attempted the test again, she continued to lose her balance and could not complete the test satisfactorily. The final exercise was the Walk and Turn test, and Rafaela failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step and she could not count her steps in the correct sequence.

Based on her erratic driving patterns, the pills inside her vehicle, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman LaBella placed Rafaela under arrest for driving under the influence. Her vehicle was searched and impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. Rafaela was taken to Atlantic Highlands Police HQ for initial processing.

At police HQ, Rafaela was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Sergeant Sodon administered the Alcotest machine, and her results indicated a BAC of 0.00%. While she did not have any alcohol in her system, Sergeant Sodon believed that Rafaela must be under the influence of prescription medication, and asked for a drug recognition expert (DRE) to respond to police headquarters. However, no DRE’s were available at that time.

After the Alcotest was completed, Rafaela was fingerprinted and photographed. Once the officers finished processing her, Rafaela was released to her son after he signed the Potential Liability Warning Form on her behalf. She was issued the following summonses: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, and operation of motor vehicle while in possession. She was also given a separate court date at the Monmouth County Court for possession of CDS.

Court records indicate that on December 13, 2022, Rafaela pleaded guilty to an amended charge of Nuisances, public health instead of possession of CDS, and she paid a total of $283 in fines. The Reckless Driving charge was also amended to Careless Driving, and Rafaela was fined $283. The other 3 citations were dismissed.

Court records also show that Rafaela had previously been arrested for DWI and Reckless Driving in Toms River, New Jersey on August 27, 2014. Rafaela pleaded guilty to that DWI charge on October 22, 2014, and she paid a total of $864 in fines. The Reckless Driving citation was dismissed though.

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