As people all across the nation donned their green attire on Saturday evening, March, 17, local law enforcement officers donned their badges and reported for duty. Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations often involve alcohol, which is why it is one of the most heavily patrolled weekends of the year.
On the Saturday night of Saint Patrick’s Day, just before 8 in the evening, New Jersey police from Berkeley Township were called to the scene of a single-car accident, but they left with the driver in the backseat. The 60-year-old man had been charged with a DUI as well as a citation for reckless driving and refusal to take a Breathalyzer test.
According to the Berkeley Township police, the man had crashed his vehicle into a fence in the South Seaside Park area. When the vehicle crashed into the fence, it caused a small power outage to residential homes in the area. The power was restored the morning after.
New Jersey has a law that is commonly known as John’s Law, which was enacted in 2005. This law makes it legal for law enforcement officials, local and state, to impound any vehicle of a person who has been arrested for drunk driving. The car can remain impounded for up to 12 hours. Police in this instance impounded the man’s vehicle under the law.
A person charged with a drunk driving offense faces serious penalties. These penalties include not only the possibility of loss of freedom through loss of a driver’s license or incarceration, but the penalties can also include large fines. In this instance, the person charged could be forced to pay for the electric damage caused by the accident. Someone charged with a DUI has the right to defend against these charges with the assistance of an experienced attorney.
Source: Toms River Patch, “Asbury Park Man Charged With DUI, Reckless Driving In South Seaside Park MVA,” Judy Bendar, March 18, 2012