NEW HARTFORD, NY — What started as a simple traffic stop Thursday night turned into a situation that’s now raising eyebrows across the Mohawk Valley.

According to the New Hartford Police Department, an officer conducted a vehicle stop around 10:00 PM on Commercial Drive for what they described as a traffic law violation. While speaking with the driver, identified as 24-year-old Naziah Jones of Utica, officers say they immediately noticed signs of impairment.

Field sobriety tests were conducted on scene, and police say Jones failed those tests. She was taken into custody and charged with Driving While Intoxicated.

But the situation didn’t stop there.

Police say there was a 15-year-old passenger inside the vehicle at the time of the stop. That detail alone escalated the situation into something much more serious, triggering a felony charge under New York’s Leandra’s Law, which applies when a child is present during a DWI offense.

Jones now faces multiple charges, including:

  • Misdemeanor DWI
  • Felony DWI with a child passenger under 15
  • Drinking alcohol inside a motor vehicle
  • Operating without a valid driver’s license
  • Operating an uninspected vehicle
  • Equipment violations related to headlights
  • Endangering the welfare of a child

Child Protective Services was contacted at the scene and responded. The child was ultimately released into the care of a relative.

Police say Jones was processed at the New Hartford Police Department and later transported to the Oneida County Jail, where she is awaiting arraignment in Centralized Arraignment Part Court.

Now the bigger question people are asking around here…

How does it get this far?

A traffic stop is one thing. Being impaired is another. But having a child in the vehicle at the same time? That’s the kind of decision that sticks with people—and not in a good way.

As always, all charges are allegations, and the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.