A Georgia sheriff has been arrested after authorities say he was caught swerving "all over the roadway" while driving a county-issued vehicle. Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch reportedly had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit during the incident.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Georgia Sheriff Arrested After DUI Stop Involving County Vehicle
Couch, 63, was allegedly driving under the influence in a county-issued SUV. According to a police report cited by Fox5 Atlanta, his blood alcohol level measured 0.212 percent.
That level is far above Georgia's legal limit of 0.08 percent.
The sheriff was charged on February 27. He was booked into the Hall County jail and later released at around 6pm on a $1,560 bond.
According to the report, a Hall County deputy first noticed the SUV around 10:30 a.m. after observing the vehicle failing to maintain its lane.
"Upon making contact, the deputy noticed a smell of alcohol and observed Couch drop his phone as he walked toward the patrol vehicle," Fox5 Atlanta's Jameson Moyer wrote. "Couch admitted he had been driving back from the bank and that he had spilled alcohol in his unmarked SUV."
A responding state trooper also noted he smelled "a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath," the report says.
Sheriff Admits Drinking as Investigation Continues
During the stop, Couch reportedly told a state trooper that he had been drinking Four Lokos. He admitted that he had "screwed up."
According to the report, Couch said he began drinking around 6 a.m. He had his last drink at about 8 a.m., hours before he was pulled over.
Officers who searched the SUV also discovered two open "Bahama Mama" alcoholic drinks inside the vehicle.
It remains unclear whether Couch will retain his position as sheriff or be removed from office. More details are expected to emerge as the case progresses.
In a separate law enforcement incident in North Carolina, the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office recently seized 40 pounds of marijuana from a vehicle with a Georgia license plate. Argiearild Lewis II of Winston-Salem was initially pulled over for a traffic violation before the stop turned into a large drug bust.
According to a Rutherford County Sheriff's Office
Facebook post, the driver displayed "obvious signs of nervousness and a noticeable change in behavior from the driver."Lewis declined consent to search the vehicle. But a K9 named Ranger provided probable cause after giving a "positive alert to the odor of narcotics."
"During the search, investigators located two large black trash bags containing multiple vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana," the post stated. "The total weight of the marijuana seized was approximately 40 pounds."
Lewis was arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana and "maintaining a vehicle/dwelling/place for controlled substances." He is currently being held on a $35,000 secured bond.
