Editor’s note: This section is based on data provided to the Northern Valley Press by neighborhood police departments. Due to pending court appearances and other variations, the following information shall be read in “press time” context.
Closter, New Jersey — On Feb. 16 at 11:25 p.m., Patrolman Daniel Hargrave was radioed by Sgt. Vincent Sarubbi to meet him in front of Rudy’s Pizza in Closter Plaza.
As he arrived, Hargrave saw Sarubbi banging on the driver side window of a silver Volkswagen. Sarubbi eventually woke up the female driver, a 39-year-old woman from Paramus, who confirmed that she was just sleeping and there was no medical emergency.
The woman was extremely lethargic, her pupils were constricted and she was slurring her words, Hargrave noted.
In plain view in the cup holders were two prescription bottles: one for alprazolam, which is a sedative generic for Xanax, and the other for carisoprodol, a muscle relaxer generic for Soma. There was also one liquid medical bottle (pronethazine-codeine oral syrup, an antihistamine and cough suppressant). The woman had a valid prescription for all three medications.
Patrolman Brendan Foley arrived on scene.
Hargrave had the driver step out, and she was very unsteady on her feet. The woman told police she was on her way to meet her fiance in Cresskill, and believed that she was in Cresskill. Hargrave advised her she was in Closter, and she had no recollection of how she got to the Closter Plaza.
There was front end damage to the vehicle, and a temporary spare in place of the driver side tire. The woman told police she had been in an accident earlier in Paramus; Paramus Police confirmed that was in fact true.
When asked, the woman stated she had taken 1 milligram of alprazolam and 350 milligrams of carisoprodol. She provided a doctor’s information, which matched prescriptions.
The woman was asked to step up onto the sidewalk and officers conducted a battery of standard field sobriety tests, described in detail in the incident report, which she failed to complete satisfactorily.
Based on the totality of circumstances—including being asleep behind the wheel, her lethargic manner, her constricted pupils, her admission of taking prescription medication prior to operating her vehicle, and her performance on the field sobriety tests—the woman was placed under arrest and transported to headquarters.
While at headquarters, the woman was seated in a chair and secured to a single handcuff wall restraint. As Hargrave was preparing to administer an Alcotest, he noticed a silver shiny object wedged down one of her knee-high boots. The object was soon revealed to be a small metal tin with five wax paper folds containing a white powdery substance, believed to be heroin. Four of the folds were stamped “watching” and one was stamped “obsession.” Inside the tin were also three empty wax paper folds, containing heroin residue, also stamped “obsession.” Also in the tin were several loose alprazolam pills (that had been prescribed by a doctor).
A search of the woman’s purse also revealed that she had four plastic straws with white powder residue on them secured inside of a pill organizer.
The woman submitted to an Alcotest and her blood alcohol content was zero. A drug recognition expert from Emerson Police Department responded to evaluate the woman. She consented to a toxicology test.
The woman was photographed, fingerprinted, and charged with possession of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance. The charges were pending a court appearance.
The woman was also issued the following motor vehicle summonses: driving under the influence of drugs; possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle; delaying traffic; obstructed view; parking in a fire zone; improper parking; and failure to produce a valid insurance card.