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Around 7:10 AM on September 22, 2024, Officer Anthony Walsh with the Boonton Township Police Department responded to report of a possibly impaired driver on Powerville Road in the vicinity of Rockaway Valley Road. He located a 2007 Toyota Camry matching the caller’s description on Powerville Road near Kinnelon Road. He initiated a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, who was identified as Christine.

Christine told Officer Walsh that she had pulled over because she wanted to look for her cigarettes. Officer Walsh asked Christine for her documents, and he observed indicators of impairment as she handed him her documents. She denied consuming alcohol or any other substances that could cause impairment before operating a motor vehicle. Officer Paul Ryan arrived on scene to assist shortly afterwards, and he spoke with Christine as Officer Walsh returned to his patrol car to check her information.

When Officer Walsh returned to the vehicle with Christine’s documents, he noticed that she appeared to be falling asleep behind the wheel. After he awakened her, he noticed that her speech was slurred and she continued to exhibit indicators of impairment. Based on the officers’ suspicion of impairment, Christine was asked to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises.

Officer Walsh started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Christine did not touch heel-to-toe on each step and used her arms for balance. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Christine failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down before the test was complete.

Based on her indicators of impairment and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Officer Walsh placed Christine under arrest for operating under the influence. The officers conducted a search of her vehicle incident to arrest, and Officer Walsh transported Christine to the Kinnelon Police Department for further processing. At the station, Christine was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, and agreed to submit breath samples. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.00%. However, Christine had previously been arrested for possession and the officers suspected she may be under the influence of another substance which may cause impairment.

The officers attempted to find a DRE within the County who could evaluate Christine, but they were unable to locate one. She was later released to her boyfriend pending her court appearance after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Christine’s behalf. Christine was issued the following citations: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, and careless driving

Court records indicate that on January 8, 2025, all 3 citations were dismissed due to a lack of prosecution. However, Christine was later arrested again for possession in Montville Township, New Jersey on November 18, 2024. She also has a prior arrest in Pequannock Township, New Jersey on July 1, 2024, a prior DWI arrest in Parsippany, New Jersey on June 27, 2024, and another prior arrest in Wayne, New Jersey on July 20, 2020.
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