Woman Arrested for DWI After Fleeing Accident Scene in Highlands, NJ

Around 7:10 PM on July 26, 2024, Officer David Osuch and Sergeant Kevin O’Donnell with the Highlands Police Department were dispatched to the scene of a hit-and-run crash on Portland Road involving a parked 2021 Toyota Corolla and a white 2020 Infiniti QX5 that had allegedly fled the scene of the crash. Witnesses told the officers that a white woman with blonde hair had left the scene of the accident after backing into the vehicle.

Sergeant O’Donnell decided to walk around the townhomes and located a blonde woman walking her dog who matched the witnesses’ description. Sergeant O’Donnell told her that someone left the scene of an accident and observed a parked Infiniti with rear damage. The woman told him that the Infiniti was her car. The engine was still warm, indicating that it had just been driven. The woman, identified as Olga, claimed that her vehicle had been struck earlier that day in Brooklyn and denied leaving the scene of the crash.

As Sergeant O’Donnell was speaking with Olga, he detected the odor of alcohol. Olga was asked if she consumed any alcohol inside her residence before coming outside with her dog, and she denied doing so. However, she did admit to consuming alcohol earlier that day. Based on their suspicion of impairment, Olga was asked to perform field sobriety exercises.

Sergeant O’Donnell started with Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, he observed the lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn Test. During the Walk and Turn test, Olga failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, initially failed to count aloud, and continued to not follow instructions. The third exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Olga failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and failed to keep her arms at her sides. The final exercise was the recitation of the alphabet from “A” to “Z,” but Olga was unable to perform this in a satisfactory manner.

Based on the motor vehicle accident, her inconsistent statements, her admission to consuming alcohol earlier that day, and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Olga was placed under arrest. Sergeant O’Donnell transported Olga to the station for further processing. At the station, she was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and refused to submit breath samples.

After they were finished processing Olga, she was released to a sober adult pending her court appearance after they signed the Potential Liability Warning on Olga’s behalf. Sergeant O’Donnell issued Olga the following citations: Operating under the influence, refusal to submit to chemical testing, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident involving damages to unattended vehicle, and failure to report accident

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