Maid Arrested for First DWI (1/2) After Sleeping in her Car

Future DWI Arrest

On March 22, 2023 around 8:32 PM, Patrolmen Zachary O’Connor and Austin Berghuys with the Ramsey Police Department responded to the area of 492 North Franklin Turnpike after a caller had reported that a female in a blue Toyota had been sleeping in her car in front of Don Bosco High School. Patrolman O’Connor arrived on scene at 8:37 PM and observed a blue 2018 Toyota stopped against the curb in the south bound lane with its right turn signal activated. He approached the vehicle from the passenger side and observed that the operator, later identified as Patricia, was slumped over with her foot on the brake and the vehicle still in drive. Patricia suddenly awoke after he knocked on the window, and she placed the vehicle in park and turned on the windshield wipers.

Patrolman O’Connor asked Patricia where she was headed, and she told him that she was headed home to Staten Island. As he was speaking with Patricia, he noticed that her eyes were bloodshot and watery and her face was flushed. Her speech was slow and slurred. The officers had Patricia exit the vehicle and walk to the rear of her vehicle. Based on their suspicion of impairment, the officers had Patricia perform field sobriety exercises.

Patrolman Berghuys started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. Patricia continued to move hear head despite being instructed to follow the tip of the pen without moving her head, so Patrolman Berghuys terminated that test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test, and Patricia did not take any heel-to-toe steps and stepped of the line multiple times. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Patricia was not able to raise her foot for more than approximately 4-5 seconds and she put her foot down a total of 3 times. For her safety, the test was terminated.

Based on her sleeping in her vehicle, her slurred speech, her lack of balance, and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Patricia was placed under arrest for driving under the influence. After she was placed under arrest, Patricia was transported to the Ramsey Police Department for further processing. Patrolman O’Connor began to read her the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, but she stated that she would understand better if the instructions were given to her in Portuguese. He called Language Line and had the form translated for her, but she ultimately refused to submit breath samples for testing.

After the officers finished processing her, Patricia was released to a sober adult after they signed the Potential Liability form on her behalf. She was issued the following traffic tickets: Operating under the influence, refusal to submit to chemical test, consent to take samples of breath, reckless driving, careless driving, and obstructing passage of other vehicles.

Court records indicate that on September 26, 2023, Patricia pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and she was fined a total of $640. She was ordered to spend 12 hours at an intoxicated driver resource center and use an ignition interlock device for 3 months. The other 5 citations were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. State records indicate that Patricia was later arrested again for DWI in Fair Lawn, New Jersey on June 23, 2023.

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