A 50-year-old Athens man was detained and received seven citations on July 11 after supposedly leading police on a chase while intoxicated. The incident began around 2:30 a.m. when police claimed that they clocked a vehicle traveling more than 20 mph above the speed limit of 40 mph zone on Ga Loop 10/Broad Street.
Police say that they pursued the vehicle as it turned onto Epps Bridge Road and then onto Epps Bridge Parkway while it occasionally moved to the grass and the wrong side of the road. According to reports, the police were unable to stop the vehicle after it turned onto Timothy Road and then Tawnyberry Drive, but they checked the registration and obtained an address.
Officers proceeded to the home at which the vehicle was registered and gained entry by knocking and speaking to a woman who identified herself as the accused man’s fiancé. After telling police where they could find her fiancé, she gave them permission to enter the bedroom. Police say that they found the accused man there awake and smelling of alcohol.
The man apparently began shouting at officers and said that he wanted to speak with a lawyer when they asked him to accompany them. Police claim that his speech was slurred and that he lightly hit an officer in the chest. They also say that he headed for his vehicle. The man was then hospitalized where he reportedly became disruptive.
When someone faces a charge for DUI, there can be serious penalties even without a conviction; the driver’s license might be suspended if he or she shows a blood alcohol content level of .08 percent or greater during a breath test. If the driver is convicted, he or she could receive a jail sentence in addition to a criminal record. Depending on the situation that led to the charge, it might be possible for an attorney to have the case dismissed.
Source: Online Athens, “Man caught at home after Athens car chase“, July 12, 2014