A New Jersey Democrat who admitted to driving drunk with her toddler in the car will avoid prison and remain in public office, underscoring yet again the double standard that too often shields politically connected liberals from the full force of the law.
Gina LaPlaca, 46, a former Democrat mayor of Lumberton Township and current member of the Lumberton Township Committee, pleaded guilty on March 3 to fourth-degree child abuse and driving under the influence in Burlington County Superior Court. As reported by Gateway Pundit, the case arises from a March 17 incident in which LaPlaca was seen swerving so wildly after picking up her 2-year-old from daycare that she nearly slammed into a utility pole.
Police body camera footage from that day shows officers arriving at LaPlacas home and placing her under arrest as she struggled to keep her balance. According to a press release from prosecutors, her blood alcohol concentration registered at a staggering 0.30 percent, nearly four times New Jerseys legal limit of 0.08 percent.
The Democrat officeholder admitted to officers that she had consumed a little bit of vodka before getting behind the wheel, and police discovered an open container of alcohol inside her vehicle. This was not her first brush with the law; in 2023, LaPlaca was charged with assault, raising further questions about her fitness for public office.
Despite the gravity of driving drunk with a child in the car, Superior Court Judge Craig A. Ambrose spared LaPlaca any jail time, instead placing her under three years of supervision in the states Pretrial Intervention (PTI) program. While ordinary citizens routinely face harsh penalties for far less egregious conduct, LaPlaca will be required only to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, install an ignition interlock device, and comply with probation conditions.
If she fails to meet those terms, prosecutors could still move forward on the child abuse charge, though critics note such follow-through is rare in politically sensitive cases. LaPlaca was removed as mayor in January, yet she astonishingly remains on the Lumberton Township Committee and is reportedly seeking reelection, a prospect that should alarm any voter who believes public officials must be held to highernot lowerstandards.
Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw, in a statement released through her office, stressed the seriousness of LaPlacas conduct while defending the PTI program as a tool for rehabilitation. LaPlaca herself issued a contrite statement, declaring, The weight of my actions is something I carry deeply. What I did was wrong. It was dangerous. It was inexcusable. I drove while intoxicated with my child in the car a choice that could have caused irreversible harm. That reality is something I will live with, and learn from, for the rest of my life.
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