NJ man charged with 5th DUI in 5 weeks

VINELAND, N.J. - May 16, 2012 (WPVI) -- The New Jersey man who made headlines this week after it was revealed he had been charged with DUI four times in five weeks has been charged with DUI yet again.

Vineland police say 45-year-old Anderson Sotomayor was arrested shortly before noon Wednesday following a traffic stop.

Police say it all began when a concerned citizen called to report that Sotomayer was driving. Police were able to catch up with him and allegedly observed him driving erratically.

Authorities tell Action News police pulled Sotomayor over at the intersection of Park and Crystal avenues in Vineland at 11:59 a.m.

Sotomayor allegedly had an open can of beer in his lap when police pulled him over. Police say he also admitted to taking oxycontin this morning and refused to take a breathalyzer.

Umberto Vasquez's surveillance system caught Sotomayor's recent arrest on camera at the intersection where there are ball fields and playgrounds nearby.

"I think there's got to be something else wrong with this gentlemen, doing such a thing and continuing to do without regards or remorse for other people's life," Vasquez said.

He was charged with illegal use of CDS (controlled dangerous substance), DWI, Reckless Driving, failure to maintain lane and having an open container of an alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle.

"It's unfortunate. We have a person in Mr. Sotomayor that obviously doesn't care about his own welfare or the welfare of the citizens of the community of Vineland," Vineland Police Captain Thomas Ulrich said.

Sotomayor is currently in the Cumberland County jail in lieu of $10,000 bail on a charge stemming from the alleged oxycontin use.

It was just on Saturday when Sotomayor was allegedly spotted driving the wrong way down a one-way street, then hitting a curb and driving off the street. The arresting officer asked the on-call judge to set bail, but the judge declined.

Vineland's municipal court administrator says there's a list of crimes for which you can set bail and drunk driving is not on it because it's considered a traffic violation.

Sotomayor was also charged with driving under the influence on April 9, 11 and 25.

He was also issued five summonses - not including drunken driving - on April 2. Police say that day, he swerved around a school bus as it unloaded kids, ran into a stop sign, smashed into a car and fled the scene of the accident.

His driving record includes two prior drunk driving convictions in 1989 and 1992. His license has been suspended 23 times and he's got multiple violations for speeding and careless driving. But his license was recently restored.

Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae tells Action News her office is aware of these DWIs and she's concerned.

While DWIs do not typically reach her office, they're investigating to see what steps they can take to keep Sotomayor off the streets.

Action News knocked on Sotomayor's door on Tuesday for a comment but he didn't answer.

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new jersey, cumberland county, DUI, local/state

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