Woman Arrested for DWI After a Night Out in Philadelphia at Almost TRIPLE the Limit

Around 3:43 AM on June 25, 2023, Patrolman Brick Wilce with the Magnolia Police Department observed the driver of a 2020 Hyundai driving at a high rate of speed while headed southbound on White Horse Pike. As he followed the vehicle, the driver continued to swerve and nearly struck a bus. He activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop and the driver pulled over on Crestwood Avenue near White Horse Pike in the neighboring town of Somerdale.

The driver was identified as 22-year-old Sophie, and Patrolman Wilce told he observed her swerving across lanes. Sophie told the officer that she did not have a valid driver’s license as Patrolman Wilce detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. She told the officer that she was headed to Lindenwold from Haddonfield. They would later learn that she drove home all the way back from Philadelphia before subsequently heading towards her friend’s house. He asked Sophie to recite the alphabet from “C” to “Y,” but she was unable to do so satisfactorily.

Based on his suspicion of impairment, Sophie was asked to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises after Patrolman Paris arrived on scene. The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Patrolman Wilce observed the lack of smooth pursuit and distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation. He could not confirm the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees because she was not following his instructions. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Sophie failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, took an incorrect number of steps, and turned improperly. The third exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Sophie failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down 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, Patrolman Wilce placed Sophie under arrest for driving under the influence. The vehicle that she had been driving was impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. She was transported to the Magnolia Police Department for further processing.

At the Magnolia Police Department, Sophie was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC of 0.21%, which was almost triple legal limit of 0.08%. A few hours later, Patrolman Wilce made contact with her mother and step-father at her residence before she could sign the Potential Liability Warning form on Sophie’s behalf. Sophie was issued the following summonses: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, careless driving, failure to stop at a traffic light, failure to give proper signal, failure to possess driver license, failure to possess driver insurance card, failure to possess driver registration, and traffic on marked lanes

Court records indicate that Sophie was later cited again for leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage in Haddon Township, New Jersey on November 19, 2023.

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