Crime & Safety

Man Who Bumped Into Sparta Police At Store, Charged With DWI

Sparta Police say they charged James Cummings, 42, with DWI after they saw him drive in, park and then walk into a convenience store.

SPARTA, NJ — A Sparta man has been charged with DWI after police officers in town happened to see him drive into a convenience store parking lot while they were inside the store themselves.

Lt. John Lamon, a spokesperson for the police department, said on Dec. 10 at about 1 a.m. while the two responding officers were in an unnamed convenience store, they saw a black pickup truck pull into the parking lot.

Once the driver walked into the store, officers say that he had difficulty balancing and they smelled alcohol.

Find out what's happening in Hopatcong-Spartafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

One of the officers, Lamon said in a news release, asked James Cummings, 42, of Sparta, if someone was driving him home, which he reportedly replied that another person was in his truck.

However, when the officers followed Cummings there, they said he sat in the driver’s seat and there was no one else with him.

Find out what's happening in Hopatcong-Spartafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

In addition to DWI, Cummings also faces careless driving charge, Lamon said.

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

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