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On April 1, 2026 around 3:45 AM, Patrolman Timothy Donovan with the Westfield Police Department observed a white 2019 Honda CR-V parked on Summit Avenue with the driver’s side door wide open. He advised dispatch about this and initiated contact with the occupant of the vehicle. As he approached the vehicle, he noticed that a female was asleep at the wheel.

The officer awakened her and asked for her documents. The female was eventually identified as Jennell Carter. She was initially having difficulty locating her documents, and she was unable to articulate where she was coming from. As Patrolman Donovan was speaking with her, he detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. Jennell denied consuming any alcohol, but she was unable to clearly explain why there where multiple empty plastic shot glass cups inside the driver’s side door frame. After Patrolman Markovy Jacques arrived on scene to assist, Jennell was asked to exit her vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises.

Patrolman Donvoan started with the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Jennell failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, turned improperly, and took an incorrect number of steps. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Jennell initially started counting without raising her foot. She was ultimately unable to complete the test.

Based on her falling asleep at the wheel, the odor of alcohol, and her inability to satisfactorily perform the field sobriety exercises, Jennell was placed under arrest for operating under the influence. Her vehicle was impounded by George’s Towing for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. Jennell was transported by Patrolman Donovan to the Westfield Police Department for further processing.

At the station, the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators was read to her, and she agreed to submit breath samples. However, she started to act like she was in pain around the time that the breathalyzer was being administered, so first responders were called to the scene to evaluate her. After she declined to be transported to the hospital, she was once again offered the opportunity to submit breath samples. Since she failed to submit adequate breath samples despite 7 different attempts, she was ultimately charged with a refusal.

After they finished processing her, Jennell was eventually released to a sober adult pending her court appearance after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Jennell’s behalf.

Jennell was issued the following citations: 
-Operating under the influence (39:4-50)
-Refusal to submit to chemical test (39:4-50.4A)
-Consent to take samples of breath (39:4-50.2)
-Reckless driving (39:4-97)
-Vehicle in unsafe condition (39:3-44)
-Failure to possess driver license (39:3-29A)
-Failure to possess driver insurance card (39:3-29C)

Court records indicate that Jennell has a prior arrest for DWI in Westfield, NJ on January 29, 2021, and she was ultimately found guilty of DWI following that incident on July 13, 2021. As of May 6, 2026, Jennell’s most recent DWI case from April 1, 2026 is still pending in court. 
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