DUI Dismissed For Bridgewater Man, Retired Cop Previously Sentenced In Fatal DWI Crash

RARITAN, NJ — A Bridgewater man and retired Mountainside Police Officer, who previously served less than one year for fatally hitting a runner while intoxicated in Raritan in 2020, was dismissed of another driving under the influence charge last week.

Kevin D. Betyeman pled guilty on Oct. 20 to careless driving: likely to endanger person or property; and failure to remove snow or ice from vehicle. He was issued fines as a result, confirmed Betyeman's defense attorney James Wronko to Patch.

The other charges, including operating under the influence of liquor or drugs and reckless driving, were dismissed.

"The judiciary system indicates that the matter was dismissed for lack of prosecution," said Municipal Court Administrator Jenni R. Peterson for Bridgewater, Raritan and Somerville.

2021 DUI Arrest

The charges stem from an arrest on Feb. 8, 2021, on Old York Road in Raritan. Read More: Bridgewater Man, Retired Cop Charged Again With DUI In Raritan

Police said a caller reported a drunk driver in a Toyota Rav4 in the area around 8:45 p.m. The same caller then said the driver, later identified as Kevin Betyeman, 56, was pulling into the Quick Chek parking lot on West Somerset Street and had driven over a curb while doing so, according to Raritan Police Sgt. Everett Holt.

Raritan Police Officers found the Toyota parked in the middle of the parking lot and not in a parking space, said Holt.

As officers pulled behind the Toyota, they noticed the driver was trying to drive in reverse, said Holt.

Officers stopped Betyeman and while speaking with him, officers saw signs that he had been driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, said Holt.

Police put Betyeman through a series of field sobriety tests and then arrested him for driving while intoxicated due to alcohol or drugs, according to Holt.

Betyeman was charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, careless driving and failing to remove snow or ice from his vehicle.

Fatal DUI Crash In 2020

Betyeman was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2021, to less than one year in jail for fatally hitting a runner with his car while intoxicated in Raritan in September 2020. Read More: Bridgewater Man, Retired Cop Gets 1 Year Jail Time In Fatal DWI Crash With Runner

Betyeman was sentenced to 364 days in jail and five years probation on the charges of third-degree strict liability vehicular homicide and two charges of third-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution, according to Somerset County's Courts.

Betyeman will also have his license suspended for one year upon release from custody.

The second-degree charge of vehicular homicide was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Betyeman's blood-alcohol concentration was found to be above the legal limit of 0.08% BAC several hours after the collision. And the two counts of third-degree hindering apprehension are due to Betyeman denying separately to two police officers about having consumed any alcohol.

The crash happened on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, at around 3:33 p.m., when Celeste Andresen, 60, of San Manuel, Ariz., was out for a run.

Andresen, originally from Raritan, was visiting family at the time of the incident.

Andresen stopped at a designated pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of Woodmere Street in an attempt to cross over Old York Road, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Team.

A vehicle driving west on Old York Road and a vehicle coming south on Woodmere Street both reportedly stopped to allow Andresen to cross. When Andresen was about three-quarters of the way across the roadway she was hit a 2018 Chevy Silverado driven by Betyeman, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

Andresen was crossing in a painted crosswalk and pedestrian crossing signs were present when she was hit.

Betyeman was previously charged.

Betyeman had previously served with the Mountainside Police Department for 25 years before retiring in July 2019. Read More: Bridgewater Man Charged In Fatal DWI Crash Is Ex-Cop: Officials

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