Hopatcong New Jersey police arrested a man who was allegedly driving while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle.
According to authorities, the 43-year-old Hopatcong NJ man was driving on Lakeside Boulevard in Hopatcong when a patrol officer noticed that the vehicle’s headlight was out. The officer stopped the suspect’s car on the side of the road.
The officer approached the vehicle and spoke with the driver. During the conversation, the officer reportedly smelled a strong odor of alcohol on the suspect’s breath.
Additionally, the officer saw that a child was sitting in the suspect’s car.
The officer administered a series of field sobriety tests, which the suspect was allegedly unable to satisfactorily complete. At that point, the officer placed the suspect under arrest.
The suspect was transported to Hopatcong police headquarters and charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI) and driving while intoxicated with a minor. The suspect was also cited for a number of traffic violations, including reckless driving and failure to maintain lane.
If the suspect is convicted on the drunk driving charges, he could be subject to significant penalties such as mandatory suspension of his driver’s license.
According to police, the child was turned over to the custody of a relative.
For additional information about this case, see the NJ.com article entitled “Hopatcong Man Drove Drunk with Kid in Car, Cops Say.”
