DOVER — A 28-year-old Elizabeth woman was charged with driving while intoxicated after police say her vehicle rolled backward while she was stopped on Spring Street and struck a parked car.
Patrolman Errick Williams responded to Spring Street at approximately 2:15 a.m. Sunday, August 9, after a caller reported a motor vehicle crash. Officers located a 2020 silver Mazda CX-3, driven by Hanna Tabares Lopez, of Elizabeth, still partially lodged against a parked, unoccupied 2017 Toyota RAV4 owned by Nancy Lombardo, of Dover.
Tabares Lopez told officers she had been traveling northbound on Spring Street when she fell asleep, causing her foot to come off the brake pedal and the vehicle to roll backward into the parked RAV4.
While speaking with Tabares Lopez, officers reported detecting the odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath. She agreed to perform standardized field sobriety tests, which were administered in Spanish, and was subsequently arrested for driving while intoxicated.
Tabares Lopez was transported to Dover Police Headquarters, where she was read her Miranda rights and later refused to provide a breath sample.
She was issued the following summonses, with a mandatory court date at Dover Municipal Court:
- Driving While Intoxicated (N.J.S.A. 39:4-50)
- Refusal to Submit to Chemical Test (N.J.S.A. 39:4-50.4a)
- Careless Driving (N.J.S.A. 39:4-97)
- Failure to Maintain Lane (N.J.S.A. 39:4-88)
Her vehicle was towed from the scene by Bunky’s Towing. The investigation was conducted by the Dover Police Department, including Patrolman Errick Williams, Patrolman Christopher Caraig, Patrolman Anthony Morin, and Patrolman Michael Cannon.
Editor’s Note: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and/or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
