Police Nab Drivers For Drunk Driving

Police nabbed a few folks for driving while intoxicated this week, said Montclair Lt. Scott Buehler.

On Thursday at about 12:25 a.m., police stopped a Mercedes near Park Street and Montague Place after it failed to stop at a red light at the corner of Walnut Street and Park Street. When police spoke to the driver, identified as Bradley Mackinnon, they noticed the strong smell of alcohol on his breath. Mackinnon, 30, of Nutley, was arrested after he failed to adequately perform field sobriety tests. He was issued motor vehicle summonses for driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated within a school zone, and failure to observe signal. He was later released.

In another incident, early today, at 1:05 a.m., police stopped an Infiniti G37 after it failed to stop at a stop sign on Bellevue Avenue and continued to drive on Upper Mountain Avenue at a high rate of speed. Police spoke to the driver after stopping the car in the area of Upper Mountain Avenue and Watchung Avenue and noticed that the driver had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. The driver, Andrew Orphanidis, 28, of West Orange, was arrested after he failed to adequately perform field sobriety tests. He was issued motor vehicle summonses for driving while intoxicated, failure to stop at a stop sign, careless driving, and failure to exhibit registration card. He was later released.

In other news, police arrested a woman for shoplifting at Pathmark in Lackawanna Mall on Thursday afternoon. An employee there said she spotted a woman placing items in her purse and attempting to leave the store without paying. It was found she had tried to steal a total of $43.38 in merchandise, including candles, juice, a card, and an Olay Holiday Pack. Edona Baker, 43, of Montclair, was arrested for shoplifting. She was also found to have a warrant out of Newark, with bail set at $100. She was later released.