State Trooper’s Niece Arrested for DWI in Monmouth Beach, NJ

On March 13, 2024 around 11:05 PM, Patrolman Matthew Golembieski with the Monmouth Beach Police Department observed a white 2015 Audi A3 driving unusually slow on Ocean Avenue southbound. As he got closer to the vehicle, he observed the driver swerving across the double yellow line and he clocked the driver at 34 MPH in a 40 MPH zone. He made a U-turn and waited in the shoulder until the vehicle passed him. He pursued the vehicle with multiple other vehicles in front of him, and he was eventually able to initiate a traffic stop. Patrolman Golembieski made contact with the 26-year-old driver of the Audi convertible, and she was identified as Ashley.

As he was speaking with Ashley, he detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. He radioed for Patrolman Peter Farmer to respond to the scene because he anticipated asking the driver to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises. After running her license through the system, he asked Ashley where she was coming from. She told him that she had been at Tommy’s Tavern in Sea Bright and that she was headed to Asbury Park. Based on his suspicion of impairment, he asked Ashley to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises.

Patrolman Golembieski started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, he observed the lack of sooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. He also observed a vertical nystagmus. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Ashley failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step while taking an incorrect number of steps. The third exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Ashley failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion while putting her foot down multiple times. The final exercise was the Lack of Convergence test. During the Lack of Convergence test, he observed both of her eyes not converge on the stimulus when the stimulus came in to the bridge of the nose.

Based on her driving patterns, her indicators of impairment, and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Ashley was placed under arrest for driving under the influence. After she was placed under arrest, Ashley name-dropped and indicated that her uncle was a State Trooper on multiple occasions. Patrolman Golembieski retrieved her property, put the cover on her convertible, and eventually transported her to the Monmouth Beach Police Department for further processing. Patrolman Golembieski read her the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, and she initially agreed to submit breath samples for testing. However, she was uncooperative during the process and failed to provide adequate breath samples despite 12 separate attempts and she was charged with refusal.

After they finished processing her, she was released to her another adult pending her court appearance after they signed the Potential Liability Warning form on her behalf. Patrolman Golembieski issued her the following traffic tickets: Operating under the influence, consent to take samples of breath, reckless driving, careless driving, unsafe lane change, and operating at slow speed blocking traffic

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