Georgia DUI News December 2017

December is an extremely busy month with celebrations of Christmas and New Year's Eve. With all the celebration, it is no surprise that it is a busy month for drunk driving and other traffic incidents. Here are some of the events that occurred in December 2017 in Georgia:

Georgia State Patrol and the Atlanta Police Department were involved in a car chase on December 1st, 2017. A state trooper tried to stop a Dodge Chrysler for violating several traffic violations when the driver took off and crashed into another vehicle. The two men in the car attempted to run after crashing but were eventually taken into custody. The officers recovered drugs from the car.

Two Georgia Southern students were killed on their way back to college after Thanksgiving break by a driver alledgedly traveling the wrong direction. The accident caused severe burns to two individuals. Georgia State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team has been trying to determine what happened and who is responsible for the accident. 

After Georgia's big win in the SEC Championship, two players found themselves in a great deal of trouble. Linebacker Natrez Patrick and wide receiver Jayson Stanley were arrested on misdemeanor marijuana charges and DUI in Barrow County, directly after the game. Stanley was arrested for DUI, speeding, and misdemeanor possession of marijuana while Patrick was arrested on a misdemeanor marijuana charge. This was Patrick's third drug-related arrest and has entered into a drug treatment program. Patrick was not allowed to play in the Rose Bowl.

On December 7th, a driver was going the wrong way down Powder Springs Road when they collided with another vehicle. The crash resulted in three people being taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

Last month, Edna Umeh, a crossing guard for Lindley Middle School was killed while directing traffic. On December 15th, police charged Lamonte Whitaker with reckless driving and vehicular homicide in connection with Umeh's death.

Roswell High School's athletic director John P. Cohen was pulled over for speeding and failure to maintain lane on December 9th, 2017. The officer noticed Cohen had glassy and bloodshot eyes and the officer smelled alcohol on his breath. Cohen refused to take field sobriety tests and alcosensor test at the scene; he was charged with DUI. Cohen started teaching at Roswell High School in 1977 and became the athletic director in 2009.

On December 22nd, 2017, a man was arrested after a high-speed chase through Metro Atlanta. Roswell police were chasing Kierris Alexander in a stolen Toyota Tundra when they called in Georgia State Patrol for reinforcements. A trooper spotted Alexander going 93 on I-285 and attempted to stop him. However, he refused to stop and ran a red light injuring another driver. The chase continued down Lenox Road where he lost his left tire. Alexander jumped out of the truck before it crashed and tried to climb a fence but got stuck. Officers used their tasers on Alexander, but he also was stuck on the spikes in the iron fence. Alexander was found with a .380 gun on him along with another gun in the vehicle. He has been charged with DUI among other charges.

A man was arrested for DUI after he drove through a church's Christmas tree lot during their service on December 22nd, 2017. Officers noted that the driver was heavily intoxicated. No one was injured, but multiple trees were damaged, according to officers.

Just days before Christmas, Lisa Cox was killed by a drunk driver who hit her head on. Cox was on her way home on Highway 316 when Marvin Bonilla hit her. Bonilla was arrested three times in 2011 on DUI charges.

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