Toms River Man Charged with DWI and Reckless Driving After Out-of-State Crash

A South Toms River, New Jersey man was recently charged with driving while intoxicated and reckless driving after allegedly crashing his vehicle into the side of a Maryland residence.

According to authorities from the Maryland State Police, 53-year-old South Toms River resident Ronald Conway was operating his 2004 Jeep Liberty under the influence of alcohol when he crashed the vehicle into the side of a Maryland home. Specifically, Conway is said to have driven his vehicle across the centerline of a highway, off of the road, and through the side of a home at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 20th.

Following the incident, Conway reportedly registered a blood alcohol content of 0.11 percent. He was arrested shortly thereafter and is now facing charges for driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated, negligent driving, and reckless driving.

If Conway is convicted in connection with this incident, the New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicle Commission will be notified, at which time he will face severe penalties, as New Jersey punishes drivers convicted for out-of-state DWI’s as if these offenses had occurred with New Jersey’s borders. As such, Conway may be subject to penalties including a period of driver’s license suspension, fines, and even a prison sentence, depending on the number of previous DWI offenses, if any, for which he was previously convicted.

For example, under New Jersey statute N.J.S.A. 2C: 39:4-50, a first offense DWI involving a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.10% or above is punishable by the following: a period of driver’s license suspension ranging from 7 months to 1 year, a fine ranging from $300 to $500, a maximum sentence of 30 days to be served in the county jail, between 12 and 48 hours of program attendance at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center, and an additional New Jersey Motor Vehicle Surcharge amounting to $1,000 per year for three years.

To access more information about this case, see the following article: Drunk N.J. man crashes Jeep into Maryland home, police say