Woman Arrested for DWI at Over DOUBLE the Legal Limit After Failing to Signal

Around 9:14 PM on May 31, 2024, Officers Vincent Gennaro and Thomas Anzalone with the Hillsborough Township Police Department observed the driver of a black 2008 Chevy Equinox drive westbound on Camplain Road and make a right turn onto Route 206 North without coming to a complete stop or signaling. The driver also failed to keep right on the multiple lane portion of Route 206. Officer Gennaro activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop and the driver pulled over on Route 206 North in the vicinity of Dukes Parkway East.

As they approached the vehicle, Officer Gennaro observed the driver drinking from a water bottle. The driver was identified as Katie, and the officers detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. Katie admitted to consuming a few drinks before operating a motor vehicle. When she was asked to exit the vehicle, Officer Gennaro observed open containers of Fireball inside the door pocket. Katie told them that she had consumed 1 22 oz. Heineken and 1 shot, although she would later admit to consuming 2 shots.

Based on the officers’ suspicion of impairment, Katie was asked to perform field sobriety exercises. The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Officer Anzalone observed 6/6 indicators of impairment. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test and it was administered by Officer Gennaro. During the Walk and Turn test, Katie failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, turned improperly, and took an incorrect number of steps on the return phase of the test. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Katie failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down multiple times before the test was complete.

Based on her erratic driving, the odor of alcohol, her admission to consuming alcohol before driving, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Officer Gennaro placed Katie under arrest for driving under the influence. Officer Sara Harrilal arrived on scene to search Katie after she was arrested. Her vehicle was impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. Officers Gennaro and Anzalone transported her to the Hillsborough Township Police Department for further processing.

At the Hillsborough Township Police Department, Katie was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC of 0.19%, which was more than double the legal limit of 0.08%. After the officers were finished with their paperwork, Katie eventually released to her boyfriend he signed the Potential Liability Warning Form on Katie’s behalf. She was issued the following summonses: Operating under the influence, failure to give proper signal, improper turn at traffic control signal, failure to keep right, and open container

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