Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Assemblyman Moriarty Arrested on DWI Charge; Legislator Denies Charge

The Fourth Legislative District assemblyman was arrested Tuesday in his hometown of Washington Township.

Several sources have confirmed Fourth Legislative District Assemblyman Paul D. Moriarty was arrested Tuesday afternoon in his hometown of Washington Township, Gloucester County, on suspicion he was driving while intoxicated.

Moriarty reportedly refused to provide a breath sample once at the police station, according to one source, who spoke to Patch on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.

Moriarty, 55, served as Washington Township mayor from 2004 through 2008. He was elected to the Assembly in 2005.

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The four-term Assembly Democrat previously worked as an investigative reporter for CBS 3 in Philadelphia.

A voicemail left on Moriarty's cell phone Tuesday evening seeking comment was not immediately returned.

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Washington Township Police would not confirm to Patch there was an arrest or charges filed against Moriarty.

"At this point, I'm not going to comment one way or the other," Capt. Richard Leonard responded when asked if Moriarty had been taken into police custody Tuesday.

Bernie Weisenfeld, a spokesman for the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, said Tuesday evening that he had no information regarding Moriarty's arrest, since the case is not being handled by his office. 

The Fourth Legislative District is comprised of Chesilhurst, Clementon, Gloucester Township, Laurel Springs, Lindenwold and Winslow in Camden County; and Monroe, Pitman and Washington Township in Gloucester County.

UPDATE, 7/31 at 9:45 p.m.: Assemblyman Paul Moriarty issued the following statement by email:

This afternoon after spending over an hour at my local car dealership and heading to grab lunch, I was pulled over by a Washington Township Police Officer who claimed I had cut him off at an intersection. I disputed his assertion which led him to order me from my car, submit me to a field sobriety test and issue a summons for DUI. Let me be clear: I had consumed no alcoholic beverages, and this entire episode was an abuse of power.  

The Officer that detained me, today, was previously fired from the Washington Township Police Department for allegedly being untruthful in an Internal Affairs Investigation. A court subsequently ordered his reinstatement.  

My attorney intends to vigorously defend these allegations, which may include filing charges with Washington Township Police Department's Internal Affairs.  



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