Wrong-Way Driver Arrested for DWI After Leaving Tomatoe’s

Around 1:19 AM on April 7, 2024, officers with the Margate City Police Department observed the driver of a 2019 Kia Optima driving in the wrong direction on a one-way road in the vicinity of N Adams Avenue and Monmouth Avenue. Officer Ryan Mazzeo stopped the car and asked the driver for her documents. The driver, later identified as 24-year-old Alexa, told the officers that she was coming from Tomatoe’s, a nearby restaurant in Margate. She initially admitted to consuming 1 martini before operating a motor vehicle.

Based on the officers’ suspicion of impairment, Alexa was asked to perform field sobriety exercises. The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Alexa failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step and initially failed to count in the correct sequence. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Alexa failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion.

Based on her traffic infraction, her admission to consuming alcohol before driving, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Officer Mazzeo placed Alexa under arrest for driving under the influence. Her vehicle was impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. She was transported to the Margate City Police Department for further processing.

At the Margate City Police Department, Alexa was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and agreed to submit breath samples for testing. While they were doing a 20-minute observation, she waived her Miranda rights and agreed to answer questions. She admitted to consuming 2 martinis earlier that evening. Her first breath sample indicated a BAC level of 0.010% and her second breath sample indicated a BAC level of 0.096%, which was rounded down to a BAC of 0.09%. This was above the legal limit of 0.08%. After the officers were finished with their paperwork, Alexa eventually released to her parents after they signed the Potential Liability Warning Form on Alexa’s behalf. She was issued the following summonses: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, and wrong way on one-way street

Court records indicate that on August 26, 2024, the citation for operating under the influence was downgraded to reckless driving. Alexa’s license was revoked for 30 days and she had to pay a total of $240 in fines. The other 2 citations were dismissed.

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