Woman Charged After Traffic Stop

On April 14 at about 10 a.m., police stopped a vehicle at southbound milepost 50 on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey. Authorities pulled over the Nissan operated by a 31-year-old woman after receiving a call about a vehicle being driven erratically in the area. According to another driver who alerted authorities, the vehicle was going in and out of several lanes on Route 9.

Police were able to determine that the woman was impaired and had several controlled substances in the vehicle including heroin and crack cocaine. She was also in possession of needles and other drug paraphernalia. The driver was charged with possession of those substances, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while intoxicated. According to authorities, the driver was released from custody and had a future court date.

Whether a person is impaired by drugs or by alcohol, he or she could be charged with DWI. The penalties for a conviction on a DWI charge could include jail time, a fine and a loss of driving privileges either temporarily or permanently. However, there could be ways to avoid some or all penalties related to a charge, and an attorney may help create a defense that may result in a favorable outcome in an impaired driving case.

For example, an attorney could argue that a vehicle was being driven erratically because it was experiencing a mechanical problem. It could also be possible to assert that a person was experiencing a medical condition that mimicked being impaired by drugs or alcohol. In other situations, an attorney might seek to negotiate a plea agreement with the prosecutor.