Smyrna Traffic Stop Results in Serious Charges for 23 Year Old Driver

According to reports out of Cobb County, Smyrna police attempted to pull over 23-year-old Javon Ridgley after he allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign.

The man attempted to speed away from the officers and then hopped out of the moving vehicle and ran away from the scene on foot. One of the officers claims that he saw Ridgley toss two different plastic bags out of his pockets and into a nearby storm drain as he was running. The police recovered the two bags and discovered close to 200 ecstasy pills as well as some marijuana.

Ridgley is facing charges of possession of a schedule I drug with intent to distribute and a stop sign violation as well as:

• Reckless Driving in Georgia
• Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police in Georgia
• Driving on a Suspended License in Georgia
• Possession of Marijuana in Georgia

As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I will focus today's post on the law behind reckless driving in our state as many people get this offense confused with other types of serious traffic violations.

Reckless Driving in Georgia

Reckless driving in Georgia is defined by law in O.C.G.A.§40-6-390 as:

(a) Any person who drives any vehicle in reckless disregard for the safety of persons or property commits the offense of reckless driving.

(b) Every person convicted of reckless driving shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $1,000.00 or imprisonment not to exceed 12 months, or by both such fine and imprisonment, provided that no provision of this Code section shall be construed so as to deprive the court imposing the sentence of the power given by law to stay or suspend the execution of such sentence or to place the defendant on probation.

Reckless driving is a serious traffic violation - however, it is unfortunately becoming a more common charge. A conviction for reckless driving is 4 points on your driving history. This means that if you are convicted of reckless driving and you are under the age of 21 and convicted of reckless driving, you will lose your license. 

Driving at high speeds, weaving, and other driving that leads to accidents often result in a reckless driving charge. In this case, police are claiming that Ridgley drove recklessly in his attempt to flee the officers.

Practice Note

Just because Ridgley has been accused of these offenses does not mean that he is guilty of committing them. Unfortunately, even though being pulled over is extremely stressful for most all drivers - when a driver attempts to drive away from the police or flee the scene, most people perceive that as an automatic sign of guilt.

We know the difference. If you or a loved one has been arrested for a serious traffic violation such as DUI in Georgia, contact our offices today. We can help you now.