Strange traffic stop incident?

[starling]

Hi. I wanted to ask anyone who knows anyone with law enforcement knowledge if this seems strange. I live in Bethlehem Township, PA, and on Friday, I had drinks with friends at a bar in NJ. I had 2 beers in a space of 3 hours. Now I am a big guy. 6'2 and aabout 250 pounds, so it would take a lot for me to be intoxicated. I headed home at around 10 on I-78. About a half hour from home, while still in NJ, I was changing a CD (stupid I know) and I guess my car swerved over the line. I got pulled over by a NJ trooper. He comes up to me and asks for my license registration and insurance. They all check out. Then he asks "How much have you had to drink tonight?" I was honest, I said 2 beers, the last one was well over an hour ago. I'd be happy to perform sobriety tests for you." He has me step out. I blow into a breahalyzer which just shows if I had any alchohol in my system at all. Then he had me perform a couple different FSTs, which I performed with no problem. The trooper says, "You admitted to me you had a couple drinks. I could technically bring you in, although I probably wouldn't get a DUI on you. I honestly don't think you are intoxicated. However, you have had a couple drinks, so I want you to sit on the side of the road for a half hour. After that you can continue. I have your license plate number and name and home address, so if I find out you were on the road before 11:00 PM I know where to find you." He left and I sat there for a half hour and I continued. I was just wondering. What would have happened if I had continued and not waited a half hour? Would the trooper really waste his time coming after me in a different state when he knew full well I wasn't intoxicated and he wouldn't get a DUI on me? or do you think he was just trying to intimidate me? What would he have come after me for? He knew I wasn't drunk. He himself said that to me. Just wondering if this incident seems at all strange.

[emilek17]

I have been pulled over by the cops countless times and more often than not, they had nothing on me. They pull folks over for the lamest reasons.

My guess is that your breath-analyzer did not register you as being drunk or perhaps borderline, but since you admitted to a few brewskys, the cop wants to make sure you don't go off and smash into something minutes after he lets you go.

In other words, the cop is covering his own a$$. He doesn't have enough to ticket you but wants to avoid his superior jumping all over him should you go off the road and hit something or somebody. You could have gone on your merry way and not worried about it because he had nothing on you in the first place. At least in my opinion.

[wynn]

I have been pulled over by the cops countless times and more often than not, they had nothing on me. They pull folks over for the lamest reasons.

My guess is that your breath-analyzer did not register you as being drunk or perhaps borderline, but since you admitted to a few brewskys, the cop wants to make sure you don't go off and smash into something minutes after he lets you go.

In other words, the cop is covering his own a$$. He doesn't have enough to ticket you but wants to avoid his superior jumping all over him should you go off the road and hit something or somebody. You could have gone on your merry way and not worried about it because he had nothing on you in the first place. At least in my opinion.

Chances are since you did register a low blood alcohol level, he wanted you to wait a while while the remainder of the alcohol dispersed from your system. He could not have pursued a later arrest because you were not guilty of anything.

There's possibly a lesser charge for Impaired Driving, which may have applied in your situation, but he would have been in serious trouble to have let you go, when in his opinion you were not fit to drive. What if you had an accident on the way home? He would have some sort of contributory negligence in the accident.

In my opinion he was bluffing, but you probably did the safe thing.

[mace]

Build up your confidence in small steps. Believe in yourself. There is nothing you can't do.