Sparta Councilman Arrested For Driving While Intoxicated: Cops

SPARTA TWP., N.J. – A former mayor in Sparta Township and current council member was arrested over the weekend when police found him allegedly driving drunk.

On Saturday, Feb. 13, Officer Daniel Elig was conducting speed enforcement when he noticed a vehicle driving erratically on Mohawk Avenue and Route 517 at 12:45 a.m., Lt. John Paul Beebe said.

Elig’s radar showed the driver moving at 34 miles per hour in a 25 miles per hour zone, Beebe said. While Elig was following the vehicle, he noticed the driver was drifting to the right and straddling the white fog line, Beebe said.

Elig conducted a stop just north of the Sparta Middle School and spoke with the driver, Jerard Murphy, 71, and smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the driver’s mouth, Beebe said.

Murphy conducted a series of field sobriety tests and was subsequently arrested for driving while intoxicated.

Murphy was charged with driving while intoxicated, failure to maintain lane, speeding, failure to produced a valid insurance card, and displaying unclear license plates.

“The township has been informed of the arrest on Saturday morning of Sparta Councilman Jerard J. Murphy for driving while intoxicated,” the governing body said in a statement over the weekend. “The Mayor and Council are troubled and extremely concerned by this event and view it as a very serious matter. Given the legal proceedings involved and that it is a personnel matter, the Mayor and Council will reserve any further comment until the Sparta Police have completed their investigation and it has gone through the Court system. “