If you have been reading our Athens, Georgia, DUI law blog for awhile now, you have probably come to the conclusion that DUI arrests are not as uncommon as they should be and numerous students and professionals have been charged with drinking and driving under a variety of circumstances in the state of Georgia.
Although DUI charges can certainly result in serious legal and social penalties due to the dangerous nature of the offense, University of Georgia students and other Athens residents can also face legal consequences for other alcohol-related offenses that do not involve drunk driving including underage drinking and public drunkenness.
Over the weekend, an underage student was arrested for alcohol-related offenses after someone called police to report that the UGA student was urinating in public. Because the student is currently on probation for a prior arrest, the student could now be put on academic probation or suspended from school in addition to any legal consequences he may face as a result of the arrest.
According to an Athens-Clarke County Police report, the underage student and another man had allegedly urinated on the top level deck of a local bar. Police were called to the bar and officers arrested the men Saturday morning. The student was charged with underage possession of alcohol, public intoxication, disorderly conduct and urinating in public. The other man was charged with public intoxication and urinating in public.
UGA students do not typically face penalties such as academic probation or suspension after a first arrest for a minor offense like underage consumption of alcohol. However, university officials can take certain actions against students who have been arrested multiple times and charged with several criminal offenses. Under these circumstances, students may benefit from working with an attorney in order to avoid jeopardizing their educational opportunities if at all possible.
Source: The Red and Black, “University student on probation for campus graffiti arrested downtown on alcohol charges,” Megan Ernst, Feb. 27, 2012