One sure way to draw the attention of police is to zone out in an intersection in your vehicle while checking your phone. If it’s in the middle of the night and your headlights are off, you’re even more of a sitting duck.
Yet one student at the University of Georgia did just that and wound up arrested for drunken driving. Police spotted him as described above in his SUV in the center of an intersection on the west side of town.
Athens-Clarke County police reported that the 21-year-old man was at the intersection of Prince and Satula Avenues at approximately 3:20 a.m., on Aug. 14. The policeman observed him gazing at his phone, oblivious to the fact that his lights were off and he was in the middle of the road.
In the arrest report, the officer noted, “While I was speaking with [him], he did not seem to be there mentally.”
The student refused to take a Breathalyzer test and was arrested for failing to have the car’s headlights on, distracted driving and driving under the influence.
Athens is a college town, and the police here have seen their share of boneheaded moves by college students. It’s fair to say that they are wise to the ways they can run afoul of Georgia laws.
But there is absolutely no reason to give them a rock-solid case when they suspect you of driving under the influence. Evidence can be countered and challenged; the maintenance records for the machine used to calibrate your blood alcohol level can be carefully scrutinized for errors or omissions.
Start building a strong and viable defense to your charges as soon as you are stopped by police by exercising your Constitutional rights not to incriminate yourself.
Source: OnlineAthens.com, “UGA student stopped in intersection looking at phone is arrested,” Joe Johnson, Aug. 18, 2016