South Jersey Assemblyman Says He Was Humiliated by 2012 DWI Arrest

Assemblyman Paul Moriarty called his 2013 arrest of drunk driving charges and subsequent attacks on his character “humiliating” in a court appearance on Wednesday, the Courier Post reports.

Those charges against Moriarty, a 4th District Democrat, were eventually dismissed, but the arresting officer, Washington Township Patrolman Joseph DiBuonaventura, is being charged with 14 counts, the most serious of which are charges of official misconduct, in the arrest.

Moriarty was the first to testify during the two-week trial, on Wednesday, according to the report.

Moriarty was pulled over on July 31, 2012, after leaving a Nissan dealership run by political opponents who had campaigned against him the previous year.

He told jurors he was surprised when the officer asked him if he had been drinking that day and gave him a field sobriety test, according to the report. Moriarty said he had been aware of his surroundings, and driving safely and appropriately.

A video taken using the dashboard camera in DiBuonaventura’s patrol car aided in the dismissal of charges of driving while intoxicated, refusal to submit to a chemical test (a Breathalyzer) and traffic on marked lanes against Moriarty.

DiBuonaventura said he was acting on a call from Det. Lisa Frattali that Moriarty was “smashed” when he left the dealership, based on a call received from employees at the dealership.

Detectives from the Washington Township Police Department and employees at the dealership are also expected to testify at the trial, according to the report.