Authorities say Washington Township police officer William McCarthy III was involved in a DWI crash in Hazelton, Pa. on Thursday.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP -- The Washington Township police officer who was accused of crashing into several cars in Pennsylvania last week while intoxicated, was busted for DWI in Blairstown nearly a year ago to the day.
Authorities say Washington Township police officer William McCarthy III was involved in a DWI crash in Hazelton, Pa. on Thursday. Pictured, McCarthy's Nissan Armada SUV. William McCarthy III, 45, of Great Meadows, was arrested on June 20, 2015 after an officer approached his 2008 Nissan SUV while it was parked on the shoulder of Route 94 and found McCarthy with his head down and an open bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila between his legs, according to arrest reports obtained by NJ Advance Media from Blairstown police.
Blairstown Police Officer Brandon Sebastian initially saw the vehicle parked on the shoulder about 15 to 20 minutes before he pulled over. The driver's head was down at that time, as if he was on his cell phone. When he arrived back on the scene, the driver was in the same position so Sebastian decided to check on the status of the driver and vehicle.
Sebastian knocked on the window and eventually roused McCarthy who was in an apparent daze. The tequila bottle had a significant amount of liquid missing, the officer noted.
While being interviewed by the officer, McCarthy repeatedly spoke about seeing "dead people" and asked the officer whether he, too, saw dead people.
McCarthy refused to submit to field sobriety tests and when brought to headquarters refused to provide samples of his breath for testing. Police, however, noted in the report McCarthy was unable to stand or walk, and his speech was slow, slurred and incoherent.
McCarthy was released into the custody of Lt. Jeffrey S. Almer last year, who told Blairstown police he would take McCarthy to Newton Medical Center. Almer has since been promoted to police chief of the Washington Township Police Department.
In connection with McCarthy's arrest in Blairstown, his wife told police he'd been "kicked out" of the house the night before and asked officers to return the garage door opener from his vehicle. She also confirmed family issues at home, that he'd been drinking heavily since 2002 and that they tried to get him help before. McCarthy denied having a drinking problem, according to Blairstown police.
According to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, McCarthy's license was suspended for 90 days this past August for a first-time DWI violation in connection with his DWI in Blairstown. At the time of his arrest on Thursday, his driver's license was valid.
This past Thursday, McCarthy was arrested by police in Hazelton, Pa. after police set up a roadblock for a Nissan Armada SUV that hit several vehicles. Based on witness statements, two of the vehicle struck by his SUV were occupied and on the roadway when they were hit while others were parked.
When stopped, the SUV was found to have heavy front-end damage and its airbag had been deployed, police said.
McCarthy was charged with DUI, resisting arrest, reckless driving, accidents involving damage to attended vehicles and duty to give information and render aid.
He was remanded to Luzerne County Correctional Facility on the charges after his arrest. It's not yet clear whether he posted bail.
Pennsylvania, unlike New Jersey, charges DWIs as a misdemeanor as opposed to a motor vehicle offense.
McCarthy's been suspended without pay from the Washington Township Police Department pending the outcome of the investigation, Almer said in a statement on Friday. Washington Township police have referred additional comment to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.
Washington Township police spokesman Lt. Douglas Compton said the Blairstown DWI was subject to "an Internal Affairs investigation and handled as directed by Attorney General Guidelines."
Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.