Woman Arrested for a DWI 1 Week After Escaping Another DWI

Around 11:19 AM on November 27, 2024, Officer Simon Sherfer with the Woodcliff Lake Police Department observed a 2019 Hyundai with an expired inspection sticker, and the driver was not wearing her seat belt as she was approaching the on ramp to the Garden State Parkway. Officer Sherfer instructed the driver to pull over, and made contact with the driver. The driver was identified as Markia, and he detected the odor of a substance that can cause impairment if it is smoked before operating a vehicle.

Officer Tara Tamburro arrived on scene shortly afterwards, and she also detected the odor of the same substance. The driver also appeared to be in possession of items that were not purchased at a designated dispensary. Based on the officers’ suspicion of impairment, Officer Tamburro performed the Lack of Convergence test and the Modified Romberg Balance test. Since she observed indicators of impairment, Officer Sherfer placed Markia under arrest and brought her to the Woodcliff Lake Police Department for further processing.

Additional field sobriety exercises were administered at the station, and it was determined that Markia was impaired and that she should not be driving. The officers then decided that Markia would be transported to the hospital for a blood draw so that they could determine what may be causing impairment. Markia was later issued the following citations: Operating under the influence, open container or unsealed cannabis, failure to wear seat belt, and failure to have inspection

Court records indicate that Markia had previously been stopped for a traffic infraction in Montvale, New Jersey a week earlier on November 20, 2024. The video of her traffic stop from the previous week is shared towards the end of this video. Officer Zagaja with the Montvale Police Department had also detected an odor of the same substance that could cause impairment if it is smoked before driving, but he gave her a warning and did not investigate her for DWI. While she was only issued a minor traffic ticket during that traffic stop and advised to not have weed in her car, a week later she was arrested for DWI in the neighboring town of Woodcliff Lake because that officer decided to investigate her for DWI and determined that she may be impaired.

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