Municipal judge's actions during arrest probed by panel
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey Supreme Court judicial panel is investigating whether a part-time municipal judge violated a code of conduct for using profanity and seeking preferential treatment when he was arrested for drunken driving.
Two state troopers said they observed Judge Wilfredo Benitez asleep in his vehicle on the shoulder of Interstate 80 in Teaneck in 2016. The troopers said they detected an odor of alcohol.
The troopers performed several field sobriety tests on Benitez, who is a judge in East Orange and Belleville. Benitez told the troopers "I'm a judge." They said he cursed and became belligerent after he was handcuffed.
He was found not guilty of driving under the influence.