Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Bryashia Atchison-Henderson avoided a drunk driving conviction and the possible loss of her job on April 2 after pleading guilty to reckless driving and paying a $340 fine.
Atchison-Henderson was arrested for driving drunk on Saturday, March 8, after Edgewater police found her passed out in a parking lot, where she allegedly drove her car over a curb following a celebration of her 30th birthday. She told police she had been drinking, and the arresting officer smelled alcohol; she vomited in the patrol car on the way to the police station.
She refused to submit to a breathalyzer test, and the charge was dropped.
Atchison-Henderson asked police officers to call the father of her young son. He was later identified as NFL player Jabril Peppers.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office did not disclose Atchison-Henderson’s arrest, and did so only reluctantly four months later. She continued to act as a prosecutor while facing DUI charges.
The reckless driving conviction will likely come with points on her driving record.
She served as a Superior Court law clerk in Essex County for 1 year before becoming an assistant prosecutor in September 2021.
Prior to moving to New Jersey, Atchison was a cheerleader for the Cleveland Cavaliers, crowned Miss Greater Cleveland 2015, competed in the Miss Ohio pageant, and worked as a legal extern in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Newark.
Two weeks ago, Frank Roman, the chief of detectives in the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, was charged with drunk driving in Somerville. He is due to appear in court today. The county prosecutor, John P. McDonald, replaced Roman as chief following his arrest.
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