911 calls end ride for intoxicated driver
On May 27 at approximately 2 p.m., Sparta Dispatch received two separate 911 calls from concerned motorists reporting unsafe operation by a green pickup travelling on Route 15 north. The second caller reported that the operator, Sean Hirrel, 37, of Bloomfield, N.J., had fallen asleep at the intersection of Route 15 and Route 517 while waiting for the traffic light to change.
Patrols responded to the area and Sparta officer Thomas Herd observed the green pickup stopped on the shoulder of the Route 517 Bypass with the driver door open. Hirrel was standing in the doorway, urinating on the roadway. Herd asked Hirrel to step away from his vehicle and to put his shoes on.
Herd conducted several field sobriety tests before placing Hirrel under arrest for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI). He was transported to Sparta Police headquarters for processing.
After completion of the breath testing, Hirrel was charged with DWI, Careless Driving, Maintenance of Lamps, and Obstructed View. He was advised of a mandatory court appearance and transported to Newton Hospital for a medical evaluation.