Police in Gwinnett County are tough on suspected drunk drivers, and a person charged with a DUI begins to immediately confront a stringent and time-driven legal process that demands the expertise of an experienced criminal defense attorney to provide strong legal representation.
County residents fitting virtually every demographic profile have been charged with drunk driving: white collar, blue collar, male, female, older, younger, doctor, teacher, student - even the police.
One Gwinnett County Sheriff's deputy was just arrested, in fact, and placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation of an incident in which he was ultimately charged with driving under the influence.
On the night of June 26, a caller reported seeing a man driving well below the stated speed limit and in a circle on I-85, north of Pleasant Hill Road. A Gwinnett County Police Department ("GCPD") officer located the vehicle on Fence Road near Highway 316 and stated that he saw the driver weaving, crossing the traffic line, almost striking the curb and traveling about 30 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone.
The man -- identified as a Dacula resident and Sheriff's deputy - denied initially that he had consumed any alcohol. When asked to undergo field sobriety tests, he allegedly responded, "Come on, man." He eventually cooperated, with the GCPD officer determining that he had been driving under the influence. A state-administered breath test at the county detention center indicated a blood-alcohol level of .167, nearly two times the legal limit.
The deputy will continue to work for the Sheriff's Office in a non-law enforcement capacity during his DUI investigation.
Related Resource: Patch, "Gwinnett Deputy Arrested for DUI" June 30, 2011
