Police Checkpoint Nets 10 DWI, Drug Arrests

Ten local drivers were charged with DWI and drug possession charges during a four-hour DWI checkpoint set up on Franklin Turnpike Friday night into Saturday morning, police announced over the weekend.

During the checkpoint, a driver from Wanaque, two from Suffern, and one from Ramsey were charged with DWIs, police said. In addition, an 18-year-old Mahwah woman was charged with underage alcohol and drug paraphernalia possession, a 19-year-old and a minor were charged with underage consumption of alcohol, and three drivers – from Montague, and Nyack and Suffern, NY – were arrested on marijuana possession charges, police said.

According to Mahwah Police Chief Jim Batelli, the results of the “detail sadly demonstrate that intoxicated drivers are still a serious problem. Some of the breathalyzer results were nearly twice the legal limit.”

The Mahwah Police Department conducts several DWI checkpoints at various locations throughout the township each year, and Batelli said the results of Friday night’s were relatively typical.

Checkpoint locations are, “approved in advance by Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli based upon a cause analysis,” Batelli said. “Checkpoints are held for both educational and enforcement purposes.”

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