CAUGHT ON VIDEO
‘Is there nothing we can work out,’ school board president asks cop after DWI arrest >>
HIGHTSTOWN » Handcuffed in the back seat of a police car, Robbinsville’s school board president made one last desperate plea to get out of the situation.
“Is there nothing that we can work out here,” 45-yearold Matthew O’Grady asks the Hightstown cop after he was placed under arrest on Sunday for drunk driving, according to a copy of the police dash cam video obtained by The Trentonian through a public records request.
The Hightstown officer instantly shoots down the Robbinsville school board president’s proposal.
“No, as of right now, nah,” the cop says in the video. “Not until everything’s done and you’re released.”
The school board president repeatedly shakes his head in disappointment in the back of the police car on his ride to the police station.
O’Grady was arrested following a motor vehicle stop on South Main Street in Hightstown at approximately 8:30 p.m. for driving his truck “under the influence of an intoxicant,” police said.
O’Grady was initially pulled over for motor vehicle infractions and was found to be drunk driving in the school zones of both Peddie School and Hightstown High School, according to police.
Wearing a polo shirt and shorts, O’Grady was given a field sobriety test, the video shows.
As he exited his vehicle, O’Grady tied both of his shoes before participating in the mental and physical challenges to test his sobriety, which included walking and talking.
With another officer assisting, O’Grady struggled to continually count up “one one-thousand, two one-thousand ...” before he stalled at four.
“You can continue sir,” the officer urges him, indicating he goes until the officer says to stop.
The second time around, O’Grady falters at nine.
Hearing enough, the officer placed O’Grady under arrest.
He was charged with failure to stop, reckless driving, DWI, DWI in a school zone, and refusal to submit breath samples.
Only the audio of O’Grady’s field sobriety test was captured on the video. O’Grady’s truck obscured the actual exercise.
A microphone of the arresting officer’s vehicle is also not working during the stop, officers in the video discussed. But the assisting officer’s vehicle caught the audio for a majority of the stop, except the first interaction that the cop had with O’Grady. The assisting officer arrived on the scene a short time later.
Apparently, the arresting officer conducted his first stop ever on O’Grady.
“What are the chances — first stop,” the assisting officer says as he enters his vehicle following the arrest.
O’Grady was released pending his next court appearance.
The school board president lists that he is managing director of a New York-based financial firm, according to his Linkedin page.
O’Grady was appointed school board president in 2015. He won his re-election bid to the school board last November.