PREGNANT Woman Busted for DWI on Mother’s Day

Around 7:48 PM on May 8, 2022, Patrolman Michael Poon of the Sparta Township Police Department observed a 2015 Toyota Camry driving 85 MPH in a 55 MPH zone on Route 15 North. The vehicle was going so fast that he had to radio for another officer ahead to stop the vehicle before he could catch up with her car. Patrolwoman Arlene Lippencott eventually stopped the vehicle at the 14 mile marker Route 15 northbound. As she approached the vehicle being driven by 31-year-old Stacey Gilligan, she informed the driver that she was going 85 MPH and asked her if she knew the speed limit on the road. Patrolman Poon arrived about a minute after Patrolwoman Lippencott stopped the vehicle. As Patrolman Poon approached the vehicle, he detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage and asked Stacey to exit the vehicle to determine whether only the passenger or both the passenger and driver may be impaired. As he spoke with Stacey outside, he detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage from her as she spoke. The driver told him that she was coming from Kenilworth and admitted to consuming about 2 glasses of wine earlier. She also told the officer that she was pregnant. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Patrolman Poon offered Stacey an opportunity to perform standardized field sobriety exercises, and she agreed to perform them. The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test administered by Patrolwoman Lippencott. She informed Patrolman Poon that observed all 6 indicators of impairment on Stacey when performing the HGN test. The second exercise involved the Walk and Turn test, and Stacey failed to walk heel-to-toe and she was staggering and raising her arms for balance. The third exercise involved the One Leg Stand test, and Stacey did not raise her foot in the proper fashion and she also had to raise her arms for balance. Based on her traffic infractions, her admission to consuming alcohol, and her inability to adequately perform most of the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman Poon placed Stacey under arrest for driving under the influence. After she was placed under arrest, her vehicle was searched for contraband and Patrolwoman Lippencott transported her husband to police headquarters since he also admitted to having consumed an alcoholic beverage and being unable to operate a motor vehicle. Once Stacey was as Sparta Township Police Headquarters, Patrolman Poon read her the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators along with her Miranda Rights. Stacey agreed to provide breath samples and her Alcotest results showed a BAC of 0.14%. After Stacey was processed, she was released to her mother after she signed the Potential Liability Warning form on her behalf. She was issued the following summonses: Operating under the influence, speeding, reckless driving, careless driving, and failure to use lamps when required. --------------------------------------------------------------- Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Donations will be used to acquire more public footage related to law enforcement activities. Our content is educational and in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2001, c. 404). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.