Ex-NBA cheerleader-turned prosecutor weeps as she's arrested on DWI charge in newly surfaced police video
In recently released footage, Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Bryashia Atchison was found passed out next to her vehicle in a parking lot after driving over a curb.
Officers who reported to the scene - at around 8:16 PM on March 8 - began asking where she had been before quickly realizing she was under the influence. Atchison later admitted that she had been at a bar celebrating her 30th birthday.
In the video released by Transparency Bodycam, Atchison told officers: 'I'm sorry. I just want to go home.' She then became emotional and began crying.
Patrolman Evan Bringas responded: 'You kind of told me something just now that's a little alarming, so I have to perform some tests. You kind of just admitted to me that you were drunk.'
Atchison began pleading with officers to allow her to speak with the father of her son and insisted that she didn't 'want to drive'.
The officer responded: 'We're a little past that right now, unfortunately. Standing close to you, I smell alcohol on you.'
As she continued to ask whether she could call the father of her son, she said: 'I don't have anyone. You guys have each other. I don't have anyone.'
Patrolman Tyler Iafelice responded: 'We're not doing anything to you. Your car is on the curb, and you just admitted to us that you were drinking and driving, so we have to try to perform some tests on you.'
The officers then conducted a Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test before concluding that she has been driving while intoxicated and placed her under arrest.
While being transported to the Edgewater Police Department, Atchison vomited in the back of the patrol car. She claimed she was not experiencing any medical problems.
Atchison did not identify herself as a prosecutor initially and the discovery was only made once the officers found her badge in the processing room at the police station.
The prosecutor's office had not disclosed Atchison's arrest at the time. However, they have now put out a statement upon the release of the bodycam footage.
Carmen Martin, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office, said: 'Assistant Prosecutor Bryashia Atchison remains employed by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
'Ms. Atchison self-reported an incident that occurred in March, and we are monitoring the matter closely. Appropriate adjustments have been made to her case assignments as warranted.
'While we cannot comment on personnel-related administrative matters, any administrative action, if necessary, would be taken after the case has been adjudicated.'
She was later issued with citations for operating under the influence and refusal to submit to a breathalyzer/chemical test.
Atchison was released to her brother, who signed the Potential Liability Warning on her behalf. Records show that she remains employed, having tried a case last week.
Prior to her role as a prosecutor, Atchison had been part of the Cleveland Cavaliers cheer squad. She joined the team in the 2015-16 campaign.
She had previously been a cheerleader for two years for the Cleveland Gladiators.
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