Mom of 1-Year-Old Gets Drunk at a Phillies Game and Blows Double the Limit

Around 12:27 AM on July 14, 2024, Patrolman Kurt Denning with the Medford Township Police Department observed silver 2022 Lincoln swerving between lanes on Hartford Road near Route 70. He activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, and the driver pulled over near 131 Route 70. Patrolman Denning exited his patrol car and initiated contact with the driver of the Lincoln, who was identified as Erin McLoughlin.

As he was speaking with Erin, Patrolman Denning detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. Erin later told him that she was heading home from the Phillies game, while her husband was home with their 1-year-old daughter. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Erin was asked to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises.

Patrolman Denning started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Patrolman Denning observed the lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Erin did not touch heel-to-toe on each step and turned improperly. The third exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Erin failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down before the test was complete. The final exercise was the Finger to Nose test, and Erin missed the tip of her nose multiple times.

Based on her erratic driving, her admission to consuming alcohol, and her inability to satisfactorily complete the field sobriety exercises, Erin was placed under arrest for driving under the influence. Patrolman Shane Snyder located multiple open containers inside her vehicle after conducting a search incident to arrest. After she was placed under arrest and placed in the patrol car, her vehicle was impounded for a 12-hour hold under John’s Law. Patrolman Denning initially transported Erin to the Medford Township Police Department for further processing.

At the station, the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators was read to her, and Erin agreed to submit breath samples for testing. When Erin submitted breath samples, the Alcotest machine malfunctioned because of a Test Aborted- Control Test Fail. However, the unverified results still indicated BAC levels of 0.173% EC and 0174% IR on the first round and 0.170% EC and 0.169% IR on the second round, which was about double the legal limit of 0.08%.

Since their Alcotest was malfunctioning at the Medford Township Police Department, they decided to transport Erin to the nearby Medford Lakes Police Department. At the Medford Lakes Police Department, Erin completed another 20-minute observation before submitting breath samples. Her Alcotest results from the Medford Lakes Police Department indicated a BAC level of 0.15%, which was still approximately double the legal limit of 0.08%.

After she submitted breath samples again at the Medford Lakes Police Department, Patrolman Denning gave her a ride home to her house since her husband was home with the baby. She was released to her husband pending her court appearance after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Erin’s behalf.

She was issued the following citations:

-Operating under the influence (39:4-50)

-Reckless driving (39:4-96)

-Failure to maintain lane (39:4-88)

-Open container (39:4-51B)

Court records indicate that on October 10, 2024, Erin’s citations for operating under the influence and reckless driving were dismissed. However, she did plead guilty to failure to maintain lane and having an open container, and had to pay a total of $530 in fines.

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