On February 14, 2026 around 4:20 AM, Patrolwoman Irene Sarris with the Westfield Police Department observed a silver 2013 BMW X3 parked with its hazard lights illuminated in the area of Central Avenue and Washington Street. Around 4:20 AM, she saw that the vehicle was still parked there, and she climbed over the center console into the passenger seat after she saw the officer. Patrolwoman Sarris then initiated a traffic stop and first contact with her passenger, who was identified as Jeffrey Charles. He stated that they had received a distressing phone call, and the officer walked over to make contact with the driver of the vehicle. The driver, later identified as Valenshea Perez, told the officer that it was her birthday and that she was initially in the driver’s seat. As she was speaking with Valenshea, she detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. Based on her indicators of impairment, she was asked to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises after Patrolman Timothy Donovan arrived on scene to assist. Patrolwoman Sarris started by asking Valenshea to recite the alphabet from “C” to “W,” but she continued to recite the alphabet past the letter “W.” The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Valenshea lost her balance after the first step and failed to follow instructions. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Valenshea failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down before the test was complete. Based on her suspicious behavior, the odor of alcohol, her admission to consuming alcohol earlier that evening, and her inability to satisfactorily perform the field sobriety exercises, Valenshea was placed under arrest for operating under the influence. Her vehicle was impounded by for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. A search of her vehicle incident to arrest yielded 4 open containers of champagne, tequila, and cognac. Valenshea was transported to the Westfield Police Department for further processing. At the station, the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators was read to her, and she agreed to submit breath samples. However, the machine failed and the officers had to transport her to Union County Police Headquarters instead. At the Union County Police Headquarters, she eventually submitted breath samples after another 20-minute observation period. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.127%, which was above the legal limit of 0.08%. After the Alcotest was complete, Valenshea was transported back to the Westfield Police Department for further processing. Once they finished processing her, Valenshea was eventually released to her grandmother pending her court appearance after she signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Valenshea’s behalf. Valenshea was issued the following citations: -Operating under the influence (39:4-50) -Reckless driving (39:4-97) -Careless driving (39:4-97) -Open container (39:4-51B) Court records indicate that Valenshea has a prior arrest for allegations of Simple Assault (2C:12-1A(1)) in Elizabeth, NJ on September 3, 2020. As of April 7, 2026, Valenshea’s DWI case from Westfield is still pending in court. ------------------------------------------ Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Our content is shared for educational and news gathering purposes. We are in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2024, c.16). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.

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