Woman Arrested for DWI After a Night Out with her Coworker Goes Wrong

Around 1:56 AM on October 26, 2024, Patrolman Preston Mellaci with the Red Bank Police Department observed the driver of a 2019 Jeep driving in the wrong direction in the vicinity of Maple Avenue. As he followed the vehicle, the driver continued driving erratically. He activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop and the driver pulled over on W Front Street near Morford Place. He made contact with the driver, who was identified as Cara.

Cara told Patrolman Mellaci that she had went out to dinner with her coworker, and she was driving him home to Lincroft before heading home. As he was speaking with Cara, he detected the odor of alcohol. Cara was able to provide her driver’s license, but she was unable to show valid registration or insurance. Her license was also suspended.

Based on his suspicion of impairment, Cara was asked to perform field sobriety exercises. The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test and it was administered by Sergeant Ashon Lovick. During the HGN test, the Sergeant Lovick told Patrolman Mellaci that he observed 6/6 indicators of impairment. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Cara failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, counted incorrectly, and turned improperly. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Cara failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion.

Based on her erratic driving, the odor of alcohol, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman Mellaci placed Cara 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 Red Bank Police Department for further processing.

At the Red Bank Police Department, Cara was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC of 0.099%, which was above the legal limit of 0.08%. Cara was issued the following summonses: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, careless driving, failure to keep right, failure to possess driver registration and failure to possess driver insurance card

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