Assemblyman Paul Moriarty Arrested on DWI Charge

Multiple sources have confirmed that Fourth Legislative District Assemblyman Paul D. Moriarty (D) was arrested Tuesday afternoon in his hometown of Washington Township on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Moriarty reportedly refused to subject himself to a breathalyzer at the police station, according to a source who spoke to Patch on condition of anonymity.

Bernie Weisenfeld, a spokesman for the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, said has no information regarding Moriarty's arrest, and Washington Township Police would not confirm to Patch whether Moriarty had been arrested.

"At this point, I'm not going to comment one way or the other," Capt. Richard Leonard said.

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. 

Moriarty, 55, served as Washington Township mayor from 2004 through 2008. He was elected to the Assembly in 2005. The four-term Assembly Democrat previously worked as an investigative reporter for CBS-3 in Philadelphia.

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.

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