New Jersey legislator disputes DUI charge

New Jersey Assemblyman Paul D. Moriarty was charged Tuesday in his Gloucester County hometown with driving while intoxicated, he acknowledged in a statement.

Moriarty, 55, said he had not been drinking and would fight the charge.

"This afternoon, after spending over an hour at my local car dealership and heading to grab lunch, I was pulled over by a Washington Township police officer who claimed I had cut him off at an intersection," Moriarty said in his statement.

"I disputed his assertion, which led him to order me from my car, submit me to a field sobriety test, and issue a summons for DUI. Let me be clear: I had consumed no alcoholic beverages, and this entire episode was an abuse of power," said Moriarty, a former TV reporter for CBS3.

Moriarty, who was mayor of Washington Township from 2004 to 2008, said that the officer who arrested him had been previously fired from the police department for allegedly being untruthful in an internal investigation. The officer was reinstated by court order, Moriarty said.

"My attorney intends to vigorously defend these allegations, which may include filing charges with Washington Township Police Department's Internal Affairs," said Moriarty, who is married with a daughter.

He represents the Fourth Legislative District, which covers parts of Gloucester and Camden Counties.

at 215-854-5983 or bmoran@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @RobertMoran215.