Woman Arrested for DWI After Driving Without Headlights in Mount Laurel, NJ

Around 2:47 AM on January 21, 2023, Officer David Stinsman with the Mount Laurel Police Department was driving south on Route 73, and he observed a 2015 Honda Civic Coupe driving with no headlamps in the vicinity of Granite Avenue. The driver headed towards the exit ramp for I-295 northbound, and he observed the driver brake hard before turning onto the ramp. After the driver merged onto I-295, Officer Stinsman initiated a traffic stop on the highway. After she pulled over, he made contact with the driver, who was identified as Grace.

Grace was asked for her documents, and Officer Stinsman asked her where she was coming from. As Officer Stinsman was speaking with her, he detected the odor of alcohol. Grace told him that she was coming from her friend’s house, but initially denied consuming alcohol before admitting that she had consumed alcohol about 2 hours prior. As he returned to his patrol car to check her documents, Officer Scheuren arrived on scene to assist. Grace told Officer Scheuren that she had consumed alcohol at a bowling alley earlier that evening. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Officer Stinsman asked Grace to perform field sobriety exercises.

The first exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Grace failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step and used her arms for balance. The second and final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Grace failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and swayed while balancing.

Based on her erratic driving patterns, the odor of alcohol on her person, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Officer Stinsman placed Grace under arrest for driving under the influence. A search of her vehicle incident to arrest revealed an open container of Tito’s Vodka (375 ml) that was about 3/4 full. Her vehicle was impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. She was transported by Officer Stinsman to Mount Laurel Police Headquarters for further processing.

At police HQ, Grace was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Officer Santiago administered the Alcotest machine and her results indicated a BAC of 0.11%, which was over the legal limit of 0.08%. After they were finished with processing her, Grace was eventually released to a sober adult at 5:26 AM after she signed the Potential Liability Warning Form on her behalf. She was issued the following summonses: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, expired registration, failure to use lamps, and maintenance of lamps

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