St. Pat's Grand Marshal Accused of DWI, Hit-and-Run

The is accused of driving while intoxicated, hitting a parked car and leaving the scene of the accident.

Richard Smith, 62, of Crescent Drive in Morris Township, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, failure to report a motor vehicle accident and careless driving during the early-morning hours of Aug. 11.

Shortly before midnight, officers Robert Iozzia and Carmen Caponegro responded to Sunset Place for a hit-and-run accident involving a parked vehicle.

While the Morristown officers were en route to the accident scene, Morris Township Officer Stan Witczak conducted a motor vehicle stop on Rosemilt Place of a 2003 Honda Pilot that had sustained heavy damage to its front end and windshield and appeared to have had deployed its airbags recently, according to a report.

The Morristown police officers responded to Rosemilt Place. Morristown Police asked Smith if he had been in the area of Sunset Place—and if he had hit a parked vehicle. Smith said he had come from and, according to a crash report, hit something that he could not recall on Sunset Place and "made an error in judgement" by fleeing the crash scene.

While speaking to Smith, Iozzia noticed a smell of alcohol from his breath, that he was swaying as he stood in place and a small laceration to his right hand, according to the report.

Smith also told police he could not recall if he had hit his head in the accident, prompting police to send him to for treatment, according to the report.

He was later released to the custody of his wife. A court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 24 at .

For questions about this post, email john.dunphy@patch.com.