NJ councilman, former mayor charged with DWI, police say

A 71-year-old former councilman and former mayor in Sparta was arrested Saturday for suspicion of driving while intoxicated, NJ Advance Media reported.

In a statement, Sparta police told NJ Advance Media that Jerard "Jerry" Murphy was observed speeding on Mohawk Avenue around 12:45 a.m. in his 2007 Toyota station wagon, which kept drifting "off the right side of the road."

According to the article, Murphy was pulled over and failed field sobriety tests administered after the officer detected a smell of alcohol on his breath.

He was arrested for DWI and related traffic offenses, and later released pending a future court date, which has not yet been scheduled, according to NJ Advance Media.

Toniann Antonelli is the digital managing editor for news at NJ 101.5. Reach her at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.