DWI Charges In Sparta For Two Separate Park Incidents, One Car On Basketball Court

SPARTA, NJ — A driver who was sitting in his car in the middle of a park recently left Sparta Police officers with more questions than he had answers, as to how he ended up there, according to the Sparta Police Department.

When they found him at Rainbow Park - the park in the neighborhood of West Shore and Rainbow Trails - responding officers said they asked William Greenlaw why his car was in the middle of the park's basketball court the night they found him sitting inside of it.

Lt. John Lamon - a spokesperson for the department - said after Greenlaw, 62 of Sparta, couldn’t explain on Aug. 25 how or why he ended up there, he was charged with DWI, reckless driving, failure to keep right and failure to report an accident, after officers on the scene conducted field sobriety tests.

As a result of a second incident in a different park this past Saturday, another resident now faces DWI charges.

Lamon said it started on Sept. 11 when police dispatchers received a call from an unknown person who said they had concerns about a someone sitting in their car at Sparta’s Station Park, Lamon said.

When police arrived to Station Park, Lamon said responding officers saw the driver heading out of the park and stopped him. After administering field sobriety tests, police charged Sparta resident Peter Chlodnicki, 55, with DWI.

There were three unidentified minors in the car with Chlodnicki, according to a news release, who Lamon said the police department made arrangements to have picked up.

In addition to his DWI charges, Chlodnicki also faces charges for careless driving and consumption of alcohol in his car, plus three counts of endangering the welfare of children.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.