74-Year-Old Driver Extremely Intoxicated in Eatonton

A 74-year-old Putnam County man crashed his Dodge pickup truck into a ditch, striking a utility pole in the southeast side of Eatonton, Georgia. After the crash, he admitted to drinking wine before the wreck. The wreck occurred on December 8, 2018 somewhere between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Standing by his wrecked truck at the intersection of Park Road and Old Milledgeville Road, the man had serious difficulty finding his driver's license. He was stumbling around and swaying considerably. He admitted to the officer that he had been at his girlfriend's house and "that he had drank a bottle of wine" according to the police officer's report.

While standing and talking with the officer, and without realizing it, the elderly man pooped himself. In his intoxicated state, he denied having done so. A roadside breathalyzer showed that he was at one and one-half times the legal limit of 0.08% blood alcohol content (BAC). When the officers arrested him, the man yelled "F*%$ you! I know my rights. ... Take me to jail!"

He was taken to jail. Such severe intoxication behind the wheel is typically very obvious to Georgia law enforcement officers. If you have been arrested for DUI in Georgia, an experienced Cherokee County DUI attorney can help.

Signs Officers Look For

When a Georgia law enforcement officer pulls over a suspected drunk driver, they are looking for certain signs of intoxication. Officers are "trained" in what to look for, but all too often this supposed training causes them to find a "drunk driver" when that person is not even intoxicated.

Signs of intoxication include, but are not limited to:

Appearance

• swaying while walking or standing;
• bloodshot, glassy, or watery eyes;
• blank stare or glazed look;
• flushed face;
• excessive perspiration; or
• disheveled clothing.

Speech

• loud or noisy, boisterous;
• slurring of words;
• unusually fast or slow speech;
• making irrational statements; or
• rambling, incoherent thought.

Behavior

• restless;
• crying or sudden sadness;
• overly animated;
• unusual walking;
• grinding teeth;
• vomiting or defecating;
• falling off of chairs or out of a person's seat;
• use of crude or offensive gestures; or
• clumsy.

Others

• odor of alcohol or other drugs (such as marijuana);
• open containers of alcohol in vehicle;
• empty alcohol containers in vehicle;
• drugs in vehicle.

Any of the signs listed above may be a sign that a driver is intoxicated, and the officer may make an arrest based on these observations. In all likelihood, the officer will also employ the use of roadside breath tests and field sobriety tests to help determine if the driver is intoxicated.

Inaccuracy of Tests & Observations

Even though Georgia law enforcement officers are "trained" to detect when a driver is intoxicated, very often they make wrongful or incorrect arrests based on what they see. Field sobriety tests especially are notoriously inaccurate and lead to many false arrests.

Consult a Cherokee County DUI Attorney

If you or someone you care for has been arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs in the State of Georgia, an experienced Cherokee County DUI attorney can defend your case and protect your rights. Contact us today for a free consultation.