South Toms River Woman Spit On Lacey Officer, Punched Him In Face After DUI Arrest

A South Toms River woman who was found slumped in her car drunk on Manchester Avenue recently apparently had plenty of energy left when she arrived at Lacey police headquarters.

Officer Scott Keefe was on patrol at 12:34 a.m. on Jan. 3 when he saw a vehicle on Manchester Avenue near Grove Street with both passenger side tires on the curb, Police Chief David A. Paprota said.

He found a woman slumped over in the driver’s seat. Keefe determined that the driver, Laura M. Metzger, 35, Brook Forest Drive, was driving under the influence. Metzger was arrested and transported to Lacey Township police headquarters, where she was processed and charged with DUI and reckless driving, the chief said.

Keefe was preparing to release Metzger when she began to spit and become disruptive in an interview room. She hit Keefe in the face with a closed fist, Paprota said.

Metzger was charged with throwing bodily fluid on a police officer and aggravated assault on a police officer. Municipal Cout Judge Damian Murray set her bail at $10,000. Metzger was transported to the Ocean County Correctional Facility in default of bail. Her vehicle was impounded pursuant to John’s Law, the chief said.