Woman Arrested for DWI at Almost 4 TIMES LEGAL LIMIT in Bridgewater, NJ

Around 11:58 PM on July 2, 2024, Officer Thomas Gallo with the Bridgewater Police Department observed a grey 2016 Infiniti being driven in an erratic manner on Route 22 West near Buffalo Wild Wings. He activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop and the driver pulled over near the exit ramp to US 202&206. He informed dispatch and made contact with the driver, who was identified as Kelsey.

Shortly afterwards, Officer Monika Thiel arrived on scene to assist. As Officer Gallo began to interact with Kelsey, he noticed signs signs of impairment. He asked Kelsey where she was coming from and she gave him seemingly contradictory accounts of where she was headed. She initially denied consuming any alcohol before operating a motor vehicle, but she would later admit to having a glass of wine earlier. Based on their suspicion of impairment, Kelsey was asked to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises. Officers Noah Allatt and Arturo Gonzales also arrived on scene to assist.

Officer Allatt started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn Test. During the Walk and Turn test, Kelsey failed to remain in the starting position and the test was unable to be completed satisfactorily due to her lack of cooperation. The final exercise they attempted was the One Leg Stand test, and Kelsey failed to follow instructions once again.

Based on her erratic driving, the odor of alcohol, her admission to consuming alcohol earlier, and her inability to complete the field sobriety exercises, Kelsey was placed under arrest. After she was placed under arrest, her vehicle was impounded for a 12-hour hold according to John’s Law. Officer Gallo transported Kelsey to the Bridgewater Police Department for further processing. At the station, he read her the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and she agreed to submit breath samples. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC of 0.30%, which was almost 4 times the legal limit of 0.08%.

After they were finished processing Kelsey, she was released to a sober adult pending her court appearance after he signed the Potential Liability Warning on Kelsey’s behalf. Officer Gallo issued Kelsey the following citations: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, careless driving, and driving or parking an unregistered motor vehicle

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