Every 15 Minutes Program

Published on April 13, 2018

On April 12, 2018, Morris County Prosecutor's Office Chief Assistant Prosecutor Brad Seabury participated in Kinnelon High School's "Every 15 Minutes" program, which is a two-day driving while intoxicated prevention program that targets high school juniors and seniors. The program's goal is to make teenagers mindful of the potentially, dangerous consequences of drinking alcohol and texting while driving. Students and parents participated in realistic exercises that reinforced the idea that death is a very real consequence of drunk driving and distracted driving.

The program included a mock-vehicle crash, a mock funeral, and a mock courtroom sentencing of a "drunk" driver. Students from the school actively participated as both victims and the "drunk" driver. During the courtroom scene, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seabury presented a mock sentencing argument before Judge Andrew Wubbenhorst, the Presiding Municipal Court Judge in Morris County. Attorney John Paul Velez, Esquire, represented the student defendant. Attorney Velez along with Judge Wubbenhorst, and Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seabury crafted a courtroom scene for the purpose of deterring students from drinking and driving by demonstrating the extreme sentencing one faces after being convicted of the crime of death by auto. The overall goal was to reinforce to teenagers that they are not invincible, and that there are extreme criminal justice consequences for drinking and driving.

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp stated, I am extremely pleased with this impactful program which was run by Kinnelon High School in coordination with the Kinnelon Police Department, Kinnelon Municipal Court, Kinnelon Fire Department, Triboro First Aid Squad, and Atlantic Air One. I want to thank all participants and attendees for their efforts and interest in the program, he said.