The following information is gleaned from incident reports, which are public record, from the Jones County Sheriff’s Department and Gray Police Department May 11-18, 2025.
May 11
“I will not pass the test”
Deputy Brown was dispatched to Parker Drive in reference to a suspicious person/vehicle. The vehicle was said to be stuck in the ditch and a male was walking around a nearby house shining a flashlight into the house. When Brown arrived, he could see a male subject walking from the rear of the home and as he approached the deputy, Brown could see the male had a handgun tucked inside his waist band in the front of his pants. Brown told the male subject to keep his hands away from the gun and the male asked the deputy to take if off of him.
Brown advised the male to stay right where he was, and he would come and remove the handgun.
After removing the weapon, the deputy asked the male subject what happened and how did he get his vehicle stuck in the ditch backwards. The male advised that he was backing out of his driveway and went too far, and that’s how he ended up in the ditch. While the male subject was speaking, Brown could smell the odor of alcohol on his breath. The deputy then asked the male how much he had to drink, and the male replied that he had too much to be driving. Brown asked the male if he would be willing to do a Field Sobriety Test and the male stated, “there is no need because I will not pass the test.” The male also advised he was too intoxicated to do the test or the Portable Blow Test. At that time, Brown placed the male in handcuffs and arrested him for DUI. Brown read the male the Implied Consent and asked if he would submit to the state administered blood test and the male agreed. Brown advised dispatch that he had the male subject in custody and to get the on-call nurse in route to the Sheriff’s Office for a blood draw.
The male was transported to the Jones County LEC where he was booked and charged for DUI less safe and turned over to jail staff.
May 12
BOLO called in by passerby
Sgt. Walker responded to a BOLO for a driver that was called in by a passerby. The information received over the radio was that the suspected intoxicated driver was traveling south on Gray Highway and failing to maintain his lane of travel. The passerby also stated that the driver turned on their flashers before striking a bridge railing which caused the vehicle to leave the roadway. The vehicle was on the side of Gray Highway in a ditch. Deputy Langston arrived on scene to assist. Langston and Walker slid down the minor embankment and assisted the intoxicated male driver from the wrecked vehicle with multiple air bags deployed. The driver could barely stand or walk, and his breath smelled like an alcoholic beverage. The male driver’s speech was slurred and slow and his eyes were bloodshot red. The driver was not physically able to conduct the Field Sobriety Test. Based on Walker’s knowledge, training and experience, it was obvious that the male should not have been operating a vehicle at his level of intoxication. The male driver did not speak English and the deputy had to use a translator application to communicate. The male was arrested for DUI and transported to the Jones County LEC.
May 13
Marijuana found during traffic stop
Lieutenant Ransom was observing traffic on GA Hwy. 44 when he saw a vehicle passing several cars in a no-passing zone. Ransom got behind the vehicle and activated his blue lights to initiate a traffic stop.
The lieutenant approached the vehicle and made contact with the male driver. While speaking to the male, Ransom could smell a very strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.
When the male was asked about the odor, he advised that he had smoked in the vehicle the night before but there was no marijuana in the vehicle now. Ransom conducted a probable cause of the vehicle and found numerous small bags pre-labeled for marijuana. Most of the bags were in a postal service bag with a shipping address. The male subject confirmed the address on the bag was his address. In one of the bags, Ransom located a quantity of marijuana. The male was then placed in handcuffs and transported to the Jones County LEC where he was issued citations for passing in a no-passing zone and possession of marijuana.
May 15
Underage drinking and driving
Deputy Brown was patrolling the area of GA Hwy. 49 when he observed a vehicle without a tag.
Brown activated his lights and sirens, called his location into dispatch and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle.
The deputy approached the vehicle and had the driver to let his window down. Immediately, Brown saw an open container of alcohol sitting in the console. The deputy asked the male driver for his driver’s license and asked where the tag was. The driver advised the deputy that he did not have the tag yet. Brown had the male step out of the vehicle and asked the subject if he would perform the Standardized Field Sobriety Test due to the open container of alcohol. The male agreed to perform the test.
Brown did not see any impairment with the test however he advised the male driver that he was under arrest for no insurance and no registration. The deputy transported the male to the Jones County LEC and charged him with underage drinking, open container of alcohol in motor vehicle, no insurance and no registration. The male was turned over to jail staff and Brown requested a driving history and criminal history from dispatch.
This isn’t NASCAR
Deputy Brown was patrolling the area of Milledgeville Highway near Altman Road, when his in-car radar made a high pitch tone. Brown looked at the radar box and it showed 109 MPH in the opposite direction. The deputy then saw two vehicles coming towards him that appeared to be side-by-side. In that area, there are two lanes on the south bound side and one lane on the north bound side. The two vehicles were racing.
Brown activated his emergency lights, turned around and advised dispatch of the two vehicles that were racing, and he advised he was in pursuit. As Brown approached the top of a hill where the two lanes come back to one, he looked to the right and observed one of the vehicles had wrecked out. The car hit the embankment at Harris Morton Road and the other car kept going. Brown turned around and went back to the wrecked vehicle and advised other officers that the other car was headed towards Gray and could be coming around the Bypass or stay straight and come through Gray.
Deputy Langston quickly looked on the FLOCK cameras and found the other car and called the tag number out. Officer Farley with the Gray PD advised that he just observed a vehicle that had pulled up beside him and wanted to know if that could be the other vehicle in question.
Brown advised that was the vehicle in question. Officer Farley activated his emergency lights, and the vehicle came to a stop at Gray Highway and Graham Road. Deputy Marcum and Officer Farley made contact with the male driver and placed him under arrest for racing on highways or streets. The male subject was taken to the Jones County LEC and turned over to jail staff. Brown took the driver of the wrecked vehicle to the Jones County LEC and turned him over to jail staff. The two male subjects were sitting together inside the LEC on a bench and Deputy Marcum overhead one of the subjects tell the other one that “he wrecked him out then snitched on him.” This statement was actually caught on jailer Brown’s body camera.
Both male subjects received citations for racing on highways or streets in excess of maximum limits.
May 16
Illegal burning in city
Deputy Patterson was dispatched to a location in reference to illegal burning.
When the deputy arrived on scene, he met with the male subject that was burning. Patterson asked the male if he had a burn permit. The male advised the deputy that he did have a permit, however, he did not have the permit on his person, and he would text it to the deputy when he found it. Patterson left the scene and called the Georgia Forestry Commission to see if they had a permit approved for the male subject.
The Forestry Commission advised the deputy that they had denied the male a permit that day. The Forestry Commission also gave the deputy the phone number for to the EPD. Patterson spoke with a representative with the EPD, and they advised they would make contact with the male subject regarding the illegal burn, however, they did not have an officer to send to Jones County on that day. Patterson then called dispatch and had them send the fire department to the location of the burn.
The deputy also returned to the location and issued the male a citation for illegal burning.
May 18
Wreck and run
Deputy Elliot was dispatched to a single vehicle collision with injuries located near Plantation Dr. Upon arrival, Elliot found an unoccupied vehicle facing west in a ditch on the east side of Plantation Dr. The vehicle was unoccupied, had all air bags deployed, some shattered windows and appeared to have rolled over prior to coming to rest.
The deputy looked in the immediate area for a possible ejected occupant but found no one. Elliot did locate two empty cans of malt beverage and an unopened can inside the vehicle. Elliot had dispatch contact the person that called the incident in, and the person advised that he would be returning with the driver of the vehicle. The male caller and male driver of the vehicle arrived at the scene along with EMS and Jones County Rescue. Elliot had EMS and Rescue medically evaluate the driver prior to the deputy interviewing him. After the male driver was medically evaluated, Elliot asked the male driver what happened.
The male advised the deputy that he was traveling south on Plantation Drive and was apparently going faster than the posted speed limit, lost control of the vehicle, over corrected, spun out into the opposite lane, skidded into the east side of the ditch, rolled the vehicle at least once and collided with a tree where the vehicle stopped. The male driver also stated that once he collided with the tree, he blacked out then regained consciousness and returned to where he was earlier, at a party on Plantation Drive. As the male driver was explaining this, Elliot smelled an odor of intoxicants on the subject’s breath and asked him if he had anything to drink. The male told the deputy that he had not had anything. At that time, Elliot asked the male if he would be willing to perform a voluntary Standardized Field Sobriety test and the male agreed. Due to the collision and complaints of pain in his legs and hips, the deputy did not ask the subject to perform the One-Legged Stand or the Walk and Turn portions of the test.
Elliot performed the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test and the male exhibited six out of six cues. The deputy also administered a Preliminary Breath Test which did indicate a positive presence of alcohol. Elliot read the male driver his GA Implied Consent Notice for Suspects under the age of 21. The male agreed to a voluntary blood draw and was arrested and transported to the Jones County LEC where he was booked for violation of OCGA 40-6-391(k) and given the appropriate paperwork.
