Crime & Safety

Cops: Drunk Man Hit Woman with Truck

The following arrest information was supplied by the Hopatcong police department. It does not indicate a conviction.

A Hopatcong man twisted a woman's hand and then, driving drunk, hit another woman with his truck's door while backing up and driving away, police said.

Officers responded to the scene at River Styx Road on Sept. 19 around 11 p.m. on a report of a person hitting someone with a truck and then leaving, police said.

A woman said she was trying to stop David Sportelli from driving home drunk when he climbed into his pickup truck, backed up, hit her in the back with the door and drove home, police said. Another woman said Sportelli grabbed her right hand and twisted her fingers, police said. Several witnesses corroborated their stories, police said.

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The women said they didn't know what caused Sportelli's actions, police said. But they said they told Sportelli one of the women's fathers would take him home because he was too drunk to drive, police said. Instead, Sportelli jumped in his pickup truck, police said.

Sportelli was found intoxicated at his Hopatcong home later in the night, police said. Sportelli denied ever leaving his home that night, police said. But aAn officer found opened bottles of rum and soda on the floor of the front passenger seat of Sportelli's car before it was towed, police said.

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Sportelli was charged with assault by auto, assault, disorderly conduct, driving while intoxicated, refusal to submit to a breath test, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, consumption of an alcoholic beverage in a vehicle and driving without insurance.

He was taken to Sussex County Jail on $2,500 bail with no 10-percent option, police said. He made bail the next day, police said.

For questions on this report, email brendan@patch.com.


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