A 20-year-old New Jersey man is accused of pouring water on a roadway to cover up a drunk driving accident on Feb. 14. His 20-year-old accomplice was also charged in the incident. According to police, the defendant allegedly drove his 2001 BMW through a stop sign and smashed into a guard rail at the intersection of Woodport Road and Sawmill Road on the night of Feb. 13. He then drove the damaged vehicle to his nearby home and had a male friend drive him back to the crash scene early on Feb. 14. Once there, the two men were alleged to have poured buckets of water on the roadway to make it appear as though black ice caused the earlier crash.
Around 2:45 a.m., an officer on patrol spotted the defendant walking from the intersection back to his friend's 2005 BMW. Upon investigation, the officer saw two buckets with small amounts of water in them sitting in the BMW's back seat. Both men were placed under arrest and later released into the custody of sober adults.
The defendant, a Sparta resident, is charged with DWI, failure to stop at a stop sign, careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident. He is also charged with disorderly conduct for creating a dangerous condition by purposely icing the roadway. His accomplice was charged with DWI, failure to wear a seat belt and careless driving. They both pleaded not guilty.
Anyone charged with a DWI may benefit by retaining a criminal defense attorney immediately upon arrest. A lawyer could help protect a defendant's rights throughout court proceedings and work to establish a strong defense against the allegations.
Source: NJ.com, "N.J. man poured water on road to make it look like black ice caused his DWI crash, cops say", Jeff Goldman, Feb. 17, 2015