The former chief of police for the Parsippany Police Department is contesting charges for drunk driving.

The suspect was arrested a short time after 4:00 a.m. According to law enforcement, the ex-deputy chief of police in Parsippany NJ was visibly intoxicated as he sat in the driver’s seat of his vehicle. The car was parked in the parking lot of the Parsippany Elks Lodge, which is located on Parsippany Road in Parsippany, NJ.

A Parsippany patrol officer noticed the suspect’s car in the parking lot and saw that the vehicle engine was still running. When the police officer knocked on the driver’s side window, he reportedly saw that the suspect was asleep behind the wheel.

The suspect was detained and then placed under arrest. He currently faces charges for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and Refusal to Submit to a Breath Test.

Now the suspect is attempting to get local prosecutors to drop the DWI charges. The suspect’s defense attorney recently made an appearance in Madison Joint Municipal Court and filed a motion to dismiss the DWI charges

If the suspect is ultimately convicted on the drunk driving charges, he would be subject to significant penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 39:4-50, a first offense DWI could lead to driver’s license suspension for three months, a fine of $400, mandatory attendance at alcohol education classes with the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center (IDRC), and up to 30 days in the local county jail.

For further information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Ex-Parsippany Deputy Police Chief Looks to Dismiss DWI Charge.”