A man in Georgia was recently arrested on allegations that he was driving while intoxicated, although he claimed to the officers on the scene that he was simply having a medical emergency.
The man in question is 68 years old. He was driving a Jeep down Canton Road in Forsyth County, where an officer working for the Cumming Police Department observed some peculiar behavior. The Jeep slowed and came to a stop for no apparent reason. When the officer saw the vehicle stop, he contacted the Sheriff’s Office to request assistance.
After that call went in, the officer then watched as the driver jumped out of the Jeep. Without a driver, the vehicle continued on forward and rolled into a nearby ditch.
When officers approached the man, he claimed he had stopped the Jeep because he felt like he was suffering from some type of medical issue — although it remains unclear what that medical issue might be. The man also claimed that he used the Jeep’s parking brake, and suggested that it must have failed.
An emergency crew arrived on the scene and evaluated the driver. They say he appeared healthy and there was no evidence of a medical issue. They did, however, note that he was slurring his words and smelled heavily of alcohol. They also said his eyes looked bloodshot and watery. Based on all of this, officers had enough probable cause to suspect that the man had been drinking and driving. As such, they administered a breathalyzer test — which revealed a blood alcohol content that was significantly over the legal limit.
Anyone who gets picked up on allegations of driving while impaired needs to quickly explore all the legal defense options they may have. Drunk driving charges are not something to take lightly, as they can have a drastic impact on your future and may come with potential fines, jail time and a license suspension.