A New Jersey state trooper is in hot water after his involvement in a collision led to the discovery of his blood alcohol level being twice the legal limit.
Sgt. Michael Roadside declared himself sober October 26 as he exited his police cruiser to speak to a fellow state trooper.
“I had prostate surgery. I’m on anesthesia right now,” he tried to explain to an officer in a dashcam video released by the New Jersey State Police.
The only problem – a police report filed by Sgt. Matthew J. Durak indicates he smelled strongly of alcohol and his uniform was inside-out. If that didn’t raise an alarm, the two open bottles of beer in his vehicle probably did.
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“I could tell that he wasn’t right. He looked dirty and disheveled. His hair was all messed up,” Lincroft native Kimberly Wilson told CBS.
Wilson says she was just leaving the Monmouth Service Area along the Garden State Parkway, and was stopped at a stop sign, when Roadside rear-ended her.
That’s when Sgt. Roadside made Wilson an extraordinary offer from a police officer.
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“He said I’ll write you a cheque for cash right now for $1000,” she explained before adding that Roadside refused to report the incident.
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Roadside’s blood alcohol level tested at .16 – twice the legal limit.
Roadside brushed off the results saying, “I’ve been way more drunk than that,” according to Durak’s reports.
Roadside later completed a questionnaire, NJ.com reports, where he admitted to drinking nine beers before the incident.
He was arrested and later released. His gun was taken and he’s been suspended without pay. An internal investigation is ongoing.
Public documents indicate that Roadside earned US$104,493 in 2014 and is a 28-year veteran of the state police.
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