Many people believe that toll booths are both annoying and inconvenient. Long lines can be tiring, and tolls can add up, especially on long trips. However, not many people are aware that toll booths can be a place for arrests based on violations of DWI laws. Drivers charged for violating DWI laws know that DWI charges can make a trip through the tolls much more difficult.
New York toll booth arrests are not as few and far between as one might expect. The Gothamist reports a toll booth DWI arrest that occurred in 2009, involving an off-duty police officer. Detective James O’Connell crashed his car into a tollbooth in Queens when he was on his way back to his home after a holiday party. The incident happened in the wee hours of the morning, around 2am, after a night of holiday cheer. The on-duty officer at the scene of the crash noted that Detective O’Connell’s eyes appeared to be bloodshot, he smelled strongly of alcohol, and his speech was slurred. He also noted that Detective O’Connell could not walk in a straight line. Needless to say, Detective O’Connell was arrested for violating New York’s DWI laws.
Silive.com reports other toll booth incidents that occurred in 2011. First, 26-year-old Tyrone Fosmire of Queens was found by police officers while napping behind the wheel of his car at a toll booth on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Police officers commented that Mr. Fosmire smelled of alcohol, and he was not steady on his feet. Later, police officers determined that Mr. Fosmire’s blood alcohol content was .15 percent, which is almost double the legal limit in New York. Following the arrest and DWI charges of Mr. Fosmire, another driver, Andrey Reshetilov, was stopped at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge toll plaza. Police officers determined that Mr. Reshetilov’s BAC was .076 percent, and he was subsequently charged with driving while ability impaired.
The attorneys at Nave DWI Defense Attorneys are familiar with DWI charges involving stop and arrest at toll booths. In the case of People v. C.L., an Nave DWI Defense Attorneys client was going through a toll booth, when, according to troopers, he was drinking from a beer can. The client was stopped and charged with two felony counts of DWI because he was with his teenage son, and because he allegedly had a BAC of .11 percent. Generally, it is the policy of the DA in the county in which the client was arrested not to reduce the type of felony charges that the client was facing. However, Nave DWI Defense Attorneys attorneys were able prove to the DA that the client’s case was a deviation from the norm because it was his first offense and was very unlike his character. The DA agreed to reduce the charges to a misdemeanor DWI charge, and the client was able to avoid having two felonies on his record.
If you have been charged with violating DWI laws, call the experienced attorneys at Nave DWI Defense Attorneys today. An Nave DWI Defense Attorneys can help you understand the charges against you, and defend you in court. Call the offices of Nave DWI Defense Attorneys today at 1-866-792-7800 for a confidential consultation.
The exclusive purpose of this article is educational and it is not intended as either legal advice or a general solution to any specific legal problem. Corporate offices for Nave DWI Defense Attorneys are located at 432 N. Franklin Street, Suite 80, Syracuse, NY 13204; Telephone No.: 1-866-792-7800. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney Advertising.
