Cops: Rome man drove drunk with child in car

A Rome man is facing felony DWI charges after state police arrested him for driving while intoxicated with a 3-year-old child in the backseat of his car.

VERONA >> A Rome man is facing felony DWI charges after state police arrested him for driving while intoxicated with a 3-yearold child in the backseat of his car.

State police charged James F. Moriarty, 35, of Rome, with felony DWI, felony Aggravated DWI with a child in the vehicle, aggravated DWI with a blood alcohol content of .18 percent or greater, first-degree felony aggravated unlicensed operation, operating without an ignition interlock device, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, and endangering the welfare of a child.

At approximately 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, Troopers Terry Hor- ton and Richard Kosakowski were dispatched by Oneida County 911 to the Dunkin Donuts in Verona to check the status of a patron who appeared to be highly intoxicated driving with a child in his vehicle. Upon arrival, witnesses directed the troopers towards a 2002 Honda Odyssey parked in front of the store with a man sitting in the drivers seat. Witnesses told troopers that the man had driven the minivan up to the store drive through and appeared to be highly intoxicated. Witnesses also advised troopers that there was a small child in the back seat of the van.

The troopers interviewed Moriarty and observed that he had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath and an open container of an alcoholic beverage in the cen- ter console of the vehicle. Field sobriety tests indicated Moriarty was intoxicated and he was taken onto custody for DWI.

A 3-year- old child was secured in a child restraint in the back seat of the minivan. The child’s mother was notified, and she responded to the scene to take the child.

Moriarty was transported to the Oneida state police barracks, where a breath test determined his blood alcohol content to be .18 percent. A DMV check showed Moriarty’s license had been revoked for a previous DWI conviction within the past 10 years.

Moriarty was arraigned in the Town of Verona Court and held at Oneida County Jail on $10,000 cash or bond and is scheduled to reappear in Verona Court on Nov. 1.