Around 11:32 PM on August 9, 2023, Sergeant William Barcas with the Lower Township Police Department observed the driver of a 2015 Jeep Renegade speeding excessively at 68 MPH in a 40 MPH zone on Townbank Road. The Jeep also struck the curb while being driven in an erratic manner. Sergeant Barcas initiated a traffic stop in the vicinity of the Seashore Road Bridge. The driver was identified as 24-year-old Ava, and Sergeant Barcas told her that she was driving like a “lunatic.” Ava admitted to consuming alcohol before operating a motor vehicle. Sergeant Barcas returned to his patrol car to check her documents. Patrolman Louis Bartleson arrived on scene around 11:36 PM to assist. Based on the officers’ suspicion of impairment, Ava was asked to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises. The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Ava failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step and turned improperly. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Ava failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and displayed a lack of balance. Based on her erratic driving, the odor of alcohol, her admission to consuming alcohol before driving, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman Bartleson placed Ava under arrest for driving under the influence. Her vehicle was impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. She was transported to the Lower Township Police Department for further processing. At the Lower Township Police Department, Ava was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC of 0.19%, which was more than double the legal limit of 0.08%. After the officers were finished with their paperwork, Ava eventually released to her feather after he they signed the Potential Liability Warning Form on Ava’s behalf. She was issued the following summonses: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, speeding, and failure to maintain lane Court records indicate that on October 3, 2023, Ava was found guilty of operating under the influence. As a result of being found guilty, Ava’s license was revoked for 4 months, and she had to use an ignition interlock device for 9 months, spend 12 hours at an intoxicated driver resource center, and pay a total of $690 in fines. The other 3 citations were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. ------------------------------------------------ Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Donations will be used to acquire more public footage related to law enforcement activities. Our content is educational and 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. 2001, c. 404). 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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