Mahwah April 24, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 5 Township’s municipal court has DWI backlog by Frank J. McMahon The backlog of driving while intoxicated cases in the Mahwah Municipal Court has raised a concern with Judge Peter E. Doyne, the presiding judge in the Civil Division of Superior Court. Doyne recently met with Mahwah Mayor William Laforet, Township Administrator Brian Campion, and Township Attorney Andrew Fede to review the number of DWI cases that have been pending the township’s municipal court for more than 60 days. According to Campion, who recently reported about the meeting to the township council, cases that are not resolved in 60 days are considered to be a backlog and Mahwah’s backlog of DWI cases is larger than those of other municipalities. He said the number of backlogged cases is not coming down, so a special prosecutor and municipal court judge are going to be assigned to hold special court sessions to reduce the DWI caseload over the next nine months. Councilman Steven Sbarra asked why so many DWI cases are taking so long to resolve. Campion explained that there has been a significant increase in DWI cases since April of last year, and 150 DWI cases in 2012, which the municipal court tried to address with some additional sessions. He said the effort to reduce the number of DWI cases was offset by a 41 percent increase in the volume of cases and the fact that a lot of the DWI cases have had several adjournments, and both of those situations have led to the backlog. Councilman John Spiech explained that many attorneys seek adjournments to delay the judges’ rulings in order to delay their clients’ loss of their drivers’ licenses if and when they are found guilty. Laforet said the focus of the meeting with Judge Doyne was to find a solution to the problem of backlogged DWI cases because of the possibility that a DWI offender might continue to drink and drive while waiting for a court appearance and get into an accident or get arrested again for a DWI offense before the current offense is adjudicated. “Just because you received a DWI summons doesn’t make you stop drinking,” Laforet said. Councilman John Roth asked to see a report on the number of DWI summonses that have been issued before adding any special court dates. Campion emphasized that the corrective action is required and Judge Doyne expects the matter to be addressed. Laforet added, “It’s not a wanna-do situation, it’s a gotta-do situation.” In New Jersey, a person is guilty of drunk driving if he or she operates a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or greater, and that person could be convicted of drunk driving even if his or her BAC is below that level. Under New Jersey law, a person convicted of drunk driving can, depending on his or her BAC level and the number of times he or she is charged with the DWI offense, receive fines between $200 and $1,000, 30 days to six months of imprisonment, and the suspension of his or her driver’s license for three months to 10 years. The penalties increase if the offense occurs in a school zone or crossing. The Ramapo Reformed Church in Mahwah will host a Mother’s Day Tea on May 11. The event will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at the church located at 100 Island Road. The afternoon will include sandwiches, activities, and a Mother’s Day Tea planned for May 11 gift for Mom. The cost is $5 per person or $15 per family. For more information, or to reserve tickets, call the church office at (201) 529-3075 or visit www.ramaporeformedchurch.org.