DUI
Georgia Drunk Driving Articles
Georgia Drunk Driving Articles, News and Information.
Sunday Beer Run Leads to Georgia DUI
Suspect racks up several crimes in Cherokee County.
Robert Keefer Dell walked into a convenience store in Canton Georgia to purchase a six-pack of Michelob beer. Sales of alcoholic beverages are not allowed on Sunday though that did not stop Dell from ripping the neon orange tape stretched across the coolers and grabbing the beer. The clerk tried to stop him, explaining to his regular customer that he would get in trouble if he sold him the beer. Dell responded by placing $6 on the counter and walking out of the store. When the clerk followed him, things went from simple shoplifting to an escalating series of crimes.
Dell lifted his shirt to reveal a handgun in his waistband. That made the offense an armed robbery, a felony in Georgia. Dell then fled into the neighboring county where he led Georgia State Patrol and Pickens County deputies on a chase. Dell struck one patrol car and attempted to run over an officer. He was eventually stopped when officers rammed his truck.
Dell was booked at the Pickens County jail on charges of fleeing police, aggravated assault and driving under the influence in Georgia. He also faces a warrant for armed robbery in Cherokee County.
The store clerk said he thought something was wrong when Dell stumbled around the store and grabbed the Michelob instead of his usual Natural Ice. Dell also didn't put down enough money for the $8.99 six-pack of Michelob.
Have you been arrested for DUI in Cherokee County, GA?
Filed in DUI Related | Georgia DUI | Permalink | Comments (0)
Police Officer Charged with Georgia DUI
Officer arrested for drunk driving in Gwinnett County after accident.
A Gwinnett County police officer was charged with driving under the influence in GA early Saturday morning following a minor accident. Around 1:15 am, James Stoudenmire ran his 2006 Ford Mustang into the back of a vehicle stopped at a red light. The responding officers detected alcohol on Stoudenmire’s breath and reported that he was unsteady during field sobriety tests.
Stoudenmire, who was off-duty, said that he had consumed four drinks, starting at 4:00 pm Friday. He was charged with Georgia DUI and for following a vehicle too closely. While being booked, Stoudenmire stumbled and fell against the wall across from the holding cell.
A passenger in the other vehicle received minor leg injuries and was treated and released at the scene.
Stoudenmire, 27, had been placed on administrative leave. When the department's Professional Standards Unit recommended termination, Stoudenmire decided on Wednesday to submit his resignation. He was a four year veteran with the Gwinnett County police department.
Are you trying to find a Gwinnett County, GA DUI attorney?
Filed in DUI Related | Georgia DUI | Permalink | Comments (0)
Georgia DUI Charges Against NASCAR Team Owner Dropped
Billy Ballew had been arrested for drunk driving in Atlanta before a race.
The Henry County Solicitor elected to drop the charges against NASCAR team owner Billy Bellew. Ballew was stopped on the Atlanta Motor Speedway grounds last March by a Henry County sheriff’s deputy. The officer spotted a mixed drink in the vehicle and, after Ballew refused to submit to a breath test, an arrest for driving under the influence in Georgia was initiated.
The county solicitor elected not to press GA DUI charges after learning that Ballew had not been driving erratically and the deputy did not indicate that he had detected alcohol. The solicitor indicated there was not enough evidence to justify the traffic stop.
Are you looking for a GA DUI lawyer?
Filed in DUI Related | Hawaii DUI | Permalink | Comments (0)
NASCAR Team Owner Charged with Georgia DUI
Billy Ballew was on the Atlanta Motor Speedway grounds with a mixed drink in his car at the time of the GA drunk driving arrest.
NASCAR team owner Billy Ballew was arrested for driving under the influence at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He was driving a friend from his condo to the passenger's motor home when he was stopped. Both the condo and the motor home are on the property of the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ballew acknowledged that he had a mixed drink in his vehicle and then refused to submit to a breath test.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Department reported that the officer arrested Ballew around 7:45 Wednesday night. Ballew was booked at county jail on charges of drunk driving in Georgia. Ballew strongly contests the arrest, saying the officer was “an irate cop” wearing a 'Security' cap.
A former stock car driver and team owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Ballew is well known in truck racing circles. He has used a series of high-profile drivers over the years, including John Andretti, Kyle Busch, Geoffrey Bodine and Martin Truex Jr.
Have you been charged with drunk driving in GA?
Filed in DUI News | Georgia DUI | Permalink | Comments (0)
Head of University of Georgia Math Department Has GA DUI Dismissed
Joseph Fu had been arrested for drunk driving even though his blood alcohol level was below legal limit.
The Athens-Clarke County State Court dismissed the charge of driving under the influence in Georgia that had been filed against the head of the UGA math department. In an agreement reached last week, Joseph Fu entered a plea of no contest to reckless driving. He was found guilty of driving the wrong way on a one-way street.
Fu was charged with drunk driving in Georgia following a traffic stop for turning onto a highway exit ramp in the wrong direction. His blood alcohol content registered .057%, which is below the .08% legal threshold for intoxication in Georgia. Police still charged Fu under its ‘DUI Less Safe’ policy, which allows an officer to subjectively charge someone with DUI whenever alcohol is present and impairment is suspected.
Fu paid a $750 fine for court costs and was sentenced to 12 months probation and 20 hours of community service.
Have you been arrested for DUI in GA?
Filed in DUI Related | Georgia DUI | Permalink | Comments (0)
Arrests for DUI in Georgia Way Down
Drunk driving arrests and alcohol related accidents much lower over holiday.
The Georgia State Patrol is reporting much fewer incidents of drunk driving and accidents across the state during the New Year’s holiday. No one died during the New Year’s festivities, and arrests for driving under the influence in Georgia were down 25% from last year. The total number of vehicle accidents was nearly halved, making it one of the safest holidays in memory.
State troopers attribute the reduction to a weakened economy, the fact that the holiday fell in the middle of the week and the impact of safe driving and anti-Georgia DUI messages.
Do you need to hire a GA DUI Attorney?
Filed in DUI Related | Georgia DUI | Permalink | Comments (0)
Budget Cuts Slow Processing of Georgia DUI Cases
Georgia's State Crime Lab in Augusta has huge backlog due to cuts in operating budget.
Due to budget cuts and consolidation of forensic and medical examiners locations, The Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab in Augusta has been forced to service an additional five new counties. That brings the total number of counties under its jurisdiction to 19, straining blood testing at the lab. That in turn has affected the processing of evidence in cases of suspicion of driving under the influence in Georgia.
The average processing time for a blood test was four to five weeks before the additional caseload was assigned to the Augusta lab. Now the average is 12 weeks, with some cases taking as long as 25 weeks. Prosecutors can not proceed with cases of Georgia DUI without toxicology results and the criminal justice system has slowed dramatically.
The budget cuts that lead to the increased workload at the Augusta facility were due to a shortfall in state revenue that has been described as “the worst..ever seen.”
If you have been arrested for GA DUI you need to hire an experienced Georgia DUI Lawyer.
Filed in DUI News | Georgia DUI | Permalink | Comments (0)
Grants Provided for Two Georgia DUI Programs: Nighthawks and ALS
Grant from the Georgia Governor will fund two State Patrol programs that target GA drunk driving: Nighthawks and ALS.
The Georgia State Patrol has received a grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to fund two DUI related programs. One is the 'GSP Nighthawks' which focuses on drunk driving identification and enforcement and the other is an ALS initiative that helps officers provide testimony during driver's license suspension hearings. Both Georgia DUI programs were started in 2004, and the new funding assures to their continuation in the coming year.
GSP Nighthawks is a team of officers that has received specialized training in the identification of a suspected drunk driver. Nighthawk patrols focus on DUI enforcement in Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Clayton Counties in the Atlanta metro area. The state troopers have arrested 679 motorists for drunk driving in Georgia so far in 2008. Last year the team made a total of 1,054 arrests for drunk driving. The Nighthawks Task Force has been recognized internationally as the best DUI enforcement initiative in North America.
The ALS program prepares troopers for license suspension hearings. Under Georgia DUI law the state may seek to administratively suspend a motorist's driver's license following an arrest for DUI. This is a separate action from the criminal DUI case which is addressed through the court system. The motorist is afforded the opportunity to challenge the suspension by requesting an Administrative License Suspension hearing. The Georgia State Patrol program provides training, legal assistance and even legal representation to officers for the hearing. The program also conducts research and helps with the filing of motions relevant to the license suspension.
Statistics indicate that one third of traffic fatalities in Georgia can be attributed to alcohol impairment. The objective of the GSP Nighthawk and ALS programs is to reduce that figure.
You should never drink and drive. Just because you have been arrested for drunk driving doesn't mean your guilty. If you have been charged with drunk driving in Georgia you will need to hire a DUI lawyer in Georgia that can represent you on your DUI criminal charge and your ALS hearing.
Filed in DUI News | Georgia DUI | Permalink | Comments (0)
College Football Player Charged with Georgia DUI
University of Georgia player charged with drunk driving hours after game.
Brandon Wood, a backup defensive tackle with the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team, was arrested early Sunday morning for drunk driving in Athens, Georgia. Wood had played in the team’s win over Vanderbilt Saturday afternoon.
Wood said he was picking up his girlfriend and her friends from downtown Athens. He left his parking lights on while waiting and forgot to turn on his headlights during the drive back to east campus. After being stopped for driving while lights are required by campus police around 3:40 am Sunday morning, Wood was charged with driving under the influence in Georgia.
Head coach Mark Richt said that Wood, while 21 and of legal age to drink, made a “bad error in judgment”. The Georgia Athletic Association policy says that an athlete who commits a first-offense violation of alcohol rules will be suspended for 10% of the season. Wood, a red-shirt sophomore who has played in all seven of Georgia’s games this year, will not be playing in the upcoming game against LSU.
Are you searching for a GA DUI Lawyer?
Filed in DUI News | Georgia DUI | Permalink | Comments (0)
New Law Increases Penalty for Georgia DUI
Legislation calls for felony charges for repeat offenders.
The General Assembly passed legislation earlier this year increasing the consequences for driving under the influence in Georgia. The new rule aims at severely penalizing repeat drunk driving offenders.
Starting July 1, a fourth arrest for Georgia DUI within 10 years will be filed as an automatic felony. The first two offenses will be misdemeanors and the third will be an aggravated misdemeanor with increased fines. If found guilty, a felony arrest can result in a jail sentence of one to five years.
First time offenders will also be affected by the new law. In addition to enrolling in a driving program, paying fines and completing community service, those charged with drinking and driving in Georgia must undergo an evaluation for alcohol abuse and attend a treatment program.
A state representative hopes the penalties will keep Georgia DUI offenders from making the mistake again.
If you have been arrested for drunk driving in Georgia you need a qualified GA DUI Lawyer.
Filed in DUI Penalties & Fines | Georgia DUI | Permalink | Comments (0)
