Georgia Inmate Resists Officers Causing Serious Injuries

Reports out of a North Georgia prison show that an inmate is now facing additional felony charges after allegedly resisting officers at the facility.

The resistance led to one of the officers leaving the incident with a broken leg. The inmate is now facing charges of aggravated battery and obstruction against a police officer in Georgia.

What originated as a conviction for felony shoplifting, the inmate will now be facing even more time in prison.

As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I am not only familiar with the law behind the offense of obstruction or resisting officers, but I am also familiar with how situations can quickly escalate and lead to additional charges. 

In today's post, I will outline the law behind obstruction and explain the penalties if convicted.

Obstruction in Georgia

A person obstructs a law enforcement under O.C.G.A. 16-10-24 when a person "knowingly and willfully obstructs or hinders" a law enforcement officer in the course of his or her official duties. This can constitute a broad variety of conduct by a person, and often comes as a natural result of a person's conduct while intoxicated.

Activity that can be considered "obstruction" includes, but is far from limited to:

• running from Georgia law enforcement
• lying to police
• attempting to destroy or hide evidence
• locking your vehicle
• refusing to follow a police officer's verbal directions
• resisting arrest
• give a false name or false documentation (i.e. fake i.d.)
• getting out of a vehicle when not asked to do so

Other kinds of conduct that interfere with an officer's ability to do his or her job can also result in a Georgia obstructing an officer charge.

If you are charged with a misdemeanor form of obstruction in Georgia, you could face up to twelve months in jail and a fine up to $1000.

A person can also be charged with a felony version of obstruction, and the person could face the same penalties as a misdemeanor, but the prison sentence would now be between 1 and 5 years in prison.

Practice Note

Call our offices today if you have been arrested for any offense including DUI in Georgia.