Around 11:50 PM on June 23, 2023, officers with the Westfield Police Department were dispatched to the scene of a motor vehicle collision involving a 2008 Jeep and 2008 GMC wagon in the vicinity of Lawrence Avenue and East Dudley Avenue. Sergeant Piotr Wierzbicki first made contact with the driver of the Jeep, who was identified as 44-year-old Tamela Beene. Officer Markovy Jacques took charge around 11:53 PM, and asked Tamela about where she was coming from, where she was headed, and whether she had consumed any alcohol. Tamela told Officer Jacques that she was heading home after leaving her friend’s house and that she had gotten into an argument with her ex-husband. Upon further questioning, she denied consuming any alcohol. However, the officers noticed that she had prescription medications in her vehicle and they detected the odor of alcohol on her person, so they offered her an opportunity to participate in field sobriety exercises. Officer Jacques started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, where he noticed the lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The second first exercise involved the recitation of the alphabet from C to W, but Tamela failed to recite the alphabet in the correct sequence as instructed. The third exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the the Walk and Turn test, Tamela failed to walk heel-to-toe and did not take the correct number of steps. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Tamela did not raise her foot in the proper fashion while swaying and failing to maintain her balance. Based on her disabled vehicle, inconsistent statements, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Officer Jacques placed Tamela under arrest for driving under the influence. After she was placed under arrest, her vehicle was searched and the officers found prescription medications in the vehicle. Officer John Swiderski requested a tow truck so the vehicle could be impounded for 12 hours as required by John’s Law. Tamela was transported by Officer Jacques and Officer Swiderski to Westfield Police Headquarters. Once at police HQ, Lieutenant Jason Rodger conducted a 20-minute observation and Officer Swiderski read her the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators. After the 20-minute observation period, Tamela insisted on having an attorney present and refused to submit breath samples for testing. Lieutenant Rodger entered her “refusal” into the breath test machine and Tamela was given an addition charge. After Tamela was processed, she was released to a sober adult pending her court appearance after they signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Tamela’s behalf. Officer Jacques issued Tamela the following summonses: Operating under the influence, refusal to submit breath samples for testing, failure to observe stop or yield signs, and failure to possess driver insurance card. --------------------------------------------------------------- Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Donations will be used to acquire more public footage related to law enforcement activities. Our content is educational and in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2001, c. 404). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.

Tamela Beene Tamela Beene DWI DUI OVI OWI DWI arrest arrested for DWI arrested for DUI DUI arrest westfield westfield nj little falls jacques union union county essex essex county woman arrested girl arrested girl gets arrested nj new jersey ZTA Zeta Tau Alpha sorority sorority girl north jersey drunk driving driving drunk impaired intoxicated drunk woman westfield police arrest Jeep GMC crash wreck Texas Arlington Texas Tech cop’s sister