New Jersey readers may be aware of media coverage surrounding the recent arrest of a woman police believe was on the verge of crashing into people gathered to watch a Memorial Day parade. The case has received a high volume of attention, due to the fact that authorities claim that the actions taken by police saved numerous lives. As for the woman arrested in the matter, she now faces serious drunk driving charges and will have a chance to present her side of the story in a court of law.
The incident took place during the annual Memorial Day parade in Rochelle Park. Parade participants, honored guests, pedestrians and other drivers were in the area when police noticed a woman approaching the parade route. Police assert that they made efforts to get the driver to stop but that she continued on her route of travel until an officer placed his vehicle directly in her path.
A minor collision took place, and the woman exited her car and began to interact with officers. At that point, they began to suspect that she was driving under the influence of alcohol. A search of her vehicle allegedly led to the discovery of an open bottle of vodka. The woman submitted to field sobriety testing and was subsequently arrested.
As this case moves forward, the prosecution may focus on the proximity of the driver to people gathered to attend or participate within the parade. That said, the driver did not actually strike any individual or vehicle other than the police car that was intentionally placed in her direction of travel. In making her case to the court, her defense against the drunk driving charges will likely ask the New Jersey court to focus on the facts of the case and not what might have occurred had police not intervened.
Source: 7online.com, "New Jersey police officer stops alleged drunk driver from plowing into Memorial Day parade", Anthony Johnson, May 26, 2015