A Howell man was taken into custody in Jackson on Sept. 11 following a motor vehicle stop during which an Ocean County Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) determined he was most likely driving while under the influence of narcotics, police said.
According to Jackson police Lt. Steven Laskiewicz, the arrest occurred just before 8 p.m. when Officer Mike Kelly observed a 2007 Chevrolet being operated in an erratic manner on West County Line Road. Kelly stopped the vehicle on Bethel Church Road.
Laskiewicz said Kelly believed the driver, Jamie Calderone, 31, was under the influence of an unknown controlled dangerous substance at the time of the motor vehicle stop.
Kelly is a member of the DRE team, which is composed of specially trained officers who are on call 24 hours a day to help identify drivers who may be under the influence of narcotics.
Following the DRE program’s guidelines, Kelly tested Calderone before taking him into custody.
Police said Kelly searched the vehicle and located a bottle of Oxycodone pills that had been prescribed to Calderone. Police said Calderone had more than $700 cash in his possession.
Calderone was charged with reckless driving, failure to maintain a lane, driving while intoxicated, being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute. He was processed and released, pending a court appearance.