When police in Athens suspect motorists of driving while under the influence of alcohol, police may conduct traffic stops and ask motorists to take field sobriety tests and breath tests in order to determine whether motorists should be arrested and charged with DUI.
Although many motorists in Georgia are aware of what may happen if they are ever suspected of drunk driving after being pulled over by police, some folks do not realize that they may still face DUI charges when traffic stops are not conducted. For example, an Athens man was charged with drunk driving last week while he was hanging out at the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.
Before the man entered the lobby of the office, an officer noticed that the man was driving a vehicle and had parked the vehicle in the parking lot. While the man was in the lobby speaking with others, the odor of alcohol was detected on the man’s breath, police reported.
According to reports, the Athens man parked his vehicle in the parking lot of the police station and an officer who was inside the station had allegedly witnessed the man driving and parking the vehicle before entering the station. When the officer approached the man, he reported that he could smell alcohol coming from the man’s breath.
The officer then asked the man to take a breath test, and the man agreed to take the test. The officer reported that the man’s blood alcohol level was .14. The man was then charged with DUI since the officer claimed that he saw the man driving his vehicle before entering the police station.
The officer said that he had informed the man that he could refuse the breath test before the man agreed to take the test. Reports did not state whether the officer had any other reason to suspect that the man had been driving while the influence of alcohol other than allegedly smelling alcohol on the man’s breath.
Source: Athens Banner-Herald, “Athens man charged with DUI after entering sheriff’s office,” April 5, 2013