Woman Arrested for DWI After Hit-and-Run Crash in Beach Haven, NJ

Around 4:30 AM on August 27, 2023, SLEO Sean Lucas with the Beach Haven Police Department was driving home after his shift. As he headed north on Bay Avenue, he witnessed a white 2016 Honda Civic strike a utility pole on the sidewalk next to Kohr Brothers between Eighth Street and Taylor Avenue. The vehicle started driving away, but then stopped in the vicinity of Ninth Street and Bay Avenue. He exited his vehicle and noticed that the airbags had deployed inside the Honda Civic. Soon after, Patrolwoman Ashley Stahl arrived on scene to investigate.

Patrolwoman Stahl made contact with the driver, who was identified as 21-year-old Taylor. Taylor and her passenger both had wristbands from Bird and Betty's, and Taylor was exhibiting indicators of impairment. Patrolwoman Stahl asked Taylor for her documents, and then asked her to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises based on her indicators of impairment.

Patrolwoman Stahl started with the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Taylor failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, took an incorrect number of steps, and failed to keep her arms at her sides. The second exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Taylor failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion while putting her foot down before the test was complete. The final exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, and she observed indicators of impairment.

Based on the motor vehicle crash, Taylor's admission to consuming alcohol, and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Taylor was placed under arrest for driving under the influence. Patrolwoman Stahl transported Taylor to the Beach Haven Police Department for further processing, while her passenger was also given a courtesy transport so that she could wait in the lobby.

Taylor was evaluated by first responders at the station, but she declined to be transported to the hospital. Patrolwoman Stahl read Taylor the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, and Taylor eventually agreed to submit breath samples. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.07%, but this test was administered more than 1 hour after the crash so there is a possibility that she was over the legal limit of 0.08% at the time of the crash. After the officers finished processing Taylor, she was released to her father after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Taylor's behalf. She was issued the following citations: operating under the influence, careless driving, failure to report an accident, leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage, and failure to possess driver registration

Court records indicate that on November 6, 2023, Taylor's citation for operating under the influence was dismissed in court. Her citation for careless driving was upgraded to reckless driving and she also pleaded guilty to failure to report an accident. As a result of her guilty pleas, Taylor had to pay a total of $530 in fines.

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