A rookie Morristown cop has pleaded guilty to driving drunk when she flipped her car off a utility pole last spring.
Police Officer Laura V. Starnes was fined $640 by Denville Municipal Judge Gerard Smith and ordered to drive with an interlocking breathalyzer device on her personal vehicle for three months.
Starnes also must spend 12 hours attending classes at the NJ Intoxicated Drivers Resource Center.
The judge dismissed a careless driving charge.
Starnes, a Glen Gardner resident who was 22 at the time of the crash, joined the police bureau last December.
Morristown Green has reached out to police Chief Darnell Richardson about Starnes’ status with the bureau in light of her guilty plea. She has remained in the patrol division since the crash on May 6, 2025.
At the time, the chief said an internal affairs investigation would commence once Starnes’ legal proceedings concluded. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office also said it was investigating.
Starnes told the judge she consumed free drinks — one mixed with rum, and three Bud Light seltzers — at a VIP lounge in Yankee Stadium, returned via bus to the Morristown police station, then got into her car to drive home.
At 11:08 pm, her 2013 red Mazda SUV hit a curb, careened across a sidewalk and climbed nine feet up a utility pole steel guide cable before flipping onto its roof on Morris Street, according to police reports.
Starnes was taken to Morristown Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries. Judge Smith commended her for consenting to a blood alcohol test.
“It’s very impressive that you did that. I mean, here you are in the hospital, you’re laying in a gurney, and you absolutely did the right thing,” said Smith, who got the case after it ping ponged from Madison and Sparta.
The judge asserted the arrest was handled properly by Morristown police, who attempted to hand it off to the prosecutor’s office to avoid potential conflicts. An assistant prosecutor advised police to proceed, the judge recounted at last week’s virtual sentencing.
Smith heaped praise on defense attorney Anthony M. Arbore for his “excellent brief,” which the judge said he re-read at 4 a.m. on sentencing day. Arbore characterized Starnes’ crash as an “anomaly” on a largely unblemished driving record.
Starnes is the daughter of a retired Morris Township police officer.
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She’s the last example anyone needs to see uniformed. while anyone can make a mistake I think still being a rookie and absolutely having no regard for the laws you enforce upon others is a joke. Totally unfit… and her parent is a retired officer, she ought to know better. Beyond that, she should have a goal to do better knowing she will be a “judge” of others. This is precisely what cheating the system looks like. I’d be highly surprised if she cares about the law until she is in position to pick and choose who ought to follow-herself not being one of those people. where do you draw the line? average citizens are on eggshells during rookie/probationary work periods, there was no attempt at that level of regard.
I think this judge had too much say. Praise for a law enforcement officer taking a blood test in the hospital after driving 9 ft. up a tree? Wonderful of you, young lady! What a terrific brief Mr. Defense Counsel! No careless driving charge? Nice deal.
All might apply to the Morristown
Councilwoman who had a similar DWI and not up to date credentials just a few weeks before recent election. She was reelected!!!
Will someone please let Judge Gerard Smith of the Denville Municipal Court know that Officer Starnes was not “laying” in a gurney; rather, she was “lying” in a gurney. “Laying” requires an object; e.g., “The chicken was laying some eggs in its coop.”
“Laying” and “lying” are often misused, but this former English teacher wishes that everyone would use proper English at all times! She also wishes that everyone would be much more careful about consuming too much alcohol.
So… will her patrol car ALSO be outfitted with a breathalyzer?
She’s a rookie on automatic probation — how the heck does she still have her job?
Another slap on the wrist when someone behaves so recklessly and endangers other – while being a cop, no less.
If anyone wonders why there are so many people driving drunk, high, or both, here’s your sign.
P.S. And who drinks Bud Light???
Miracle that she survived . Hope people realize the dangers of alcohol ,and how overrated drinking and partying is. Life is short . Life is good .
I had a friend who used to work in the police dept , he used to tell me how unsettling it was to deal with suspects who were severely under the influence of alcohol. It’s very bad stuff.He explained to me the extreme anger , toxicity and fighting that came out of the souls who drank too much. He used to tell me thst suspects who were high on drugs, were usually passive, and better able to control ,but that alcohol abuse was another universe, so many people have no idea! It was very dangerous . The police earn their salaries. Lots of hostility that they have to deal with. What other job requires such patience and self control? The police are the ones who have to deal with these things.
If this Officier stays on the job ,I pray this helps and educates her.
Over my lifetime I’ve seen how alcohol can destroy individuals ,lives ,and families as well as communities .Beware.
Peace everybody.