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LifeSwitch Driving Academy of Peachtree City, 116 Huddleston Road, Peachtree City, GA (2026)

10/03/2026

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐔𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — New evidence in court Friday revealed how fast investigators say a drunk driver was going when he killed a Gwinnett County mother half a mile from her own front door.

Antonio Flores was driving close to 77 mph in a 40 mph zone on April 26 when his truck hit Alicia Thomas near Singleton Road and Thompson Parkway. The truck’s own data and the crash reconstruction both showed he was speeding, the investigator said.

“If he wasn’t speeding, the driver of the (victim’s vehicle) would’ve made it through the left turn,” Officer J. Portugal-Mejia with Gwinnett County police testified.

He testified there were no skid marks at the scene. A drone mapped the crash down to the centimeter and found no sign Flores ever braked.

Officers reported an open b**r can on the truck’s floorboard and the smell of alcohol on Flores at the scene. His blood alcohol came back at 0.119, police said, about one and a half times the legal limit
The intersection has turned deadly before. The investigator told the court his unit gets called there often for fatal crashes, including one last year that killed a mother and hurt her teenage daughter. “We would get called out there plenty of times for pedestrian fatalities, motorcycles, and vehicles,” Portugal-Mejia said.

For the people who loved Thomas, the evidence is not the point. Brenda Conley met her selling real estate and called her a sister for more than a decade.

“She lost her life because somebody didn’t decide to do the right thing,” Conley said. Thomas was 42. Her son is 13.

“We want whoever it is to be held responsible, but I would rather her be here,” Conley said.

09/02/2026

𝟏𝟓𝟎 𝐃𝐔𝐈 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐃𝐔𝐈 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞
𝐵𝘺 𝘔𝑖𝘤ℎ𝘢𝑒𝘭 𝘚𝑒𝘪𝑑𝘦𝑛, 𝘞𝑆𝘉-𝘛𝑉, 𝘈𝑢𝘨𝑢𝘴𝑡 31, 2026 𝘢𝑡 8:24 𝘱𝑚 𝐸𝘋𝑇
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GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News investigates controversy surrounding the Gwinnett County Police Department and DUI arrests. We uncovered that one officer had 65 DUI cases thrown out or reduced since April 2025, after his reports and sworn affidavits did not always match what happened on the body camera video.

Channel 2’s Michael Seiden uncovered what a DUI expert witness calls a quota – encouraging task force members to make 150 DUI arrests a year.

WSB filed an open records request and obtained a letter written by a supervisor in Gwinnett County Police’s DUI unit. It states the goal for members of the unit is at least 150 DUI arrests a year – enough to earn the highest award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
We talked to a DUI expert witness who believes that kind of system can incentivize bad police work. “I gotta ask you because I can smell it. How much have you had to drink tonight?” asked officer Matthew Lau on body camera video.

“I had a few,” replied Anthony Jamison.

That exchange happened at the beginning of Jamison’s DUI arrest in 2021. But a letter written by a Gwinnett County DUI task force supervisor is raising new questions about the numbers behind these arrests. In a letter of commendation, Cpl. Matthew Lau’s supervisor praised him as a “statistics leader” citing 753 traffic stops, 822 traffic citations and 175 DUI arrests in 2024. But it’s the next paragraph that caught our attention.

“The goal each year for the members of the DUI unit is obtain at least 150 DUI arrests” to earn the highest award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Channel 2 Action News investigates went to MADD’s 2025 awards ceremony where Lau was honored for his 175 DUI arrests. The letter says after Lau reached that mark; he helped other members of the unit achieve their “respective goals.”

“Again, you see the term quota, a lot of agencies use different names for it, performance objectives, those type of things. I think they should not be there. In my personal opinion, it incentivizes bad police work,” said Matthew Mahlhiot, a DUI expert witness who spent decades in law enforcement.

We obtained personnel records that repeatedly mention the number of DUI arrests and earning MADD awards, along with body camera video, police reports and court records from some of Lau’s arrests and asked Mahlhiot to review them. He said there is nothing wrong with rewarding officers for getting impaired drivers off the road. His concern is measuring success by the number of arrests and not the quality of those arrests.

“Your target is numbers. How many arrests can I make? How many people can I get off the street? And that’s not the purpose of it. It’s not to see who can win the most arrests. That, to me, is an improper incentive.

Mahlhiot said there are better ways to track effectiveness including conviction rates and serious crashes. “If you’re having injury accidents and highway fatalities go down, you know your DUI task force is doing a good job,” said Mahlhiot.

Anthony Jamison believes Cpl. Lau had already decided he was going to jail.

“You can really honestly see that I was targeted from that point. He seemed like he had already had his mind made up,” said Jamison. His DUI charge was dropped in court over differences between what Lau wrote in his reports and search warrant affidavit and what his body camera actually showed.

We found 65 of Lau’s DUI arrests were dismissed or reduced since April 2025.

“The job is not to make as many arrests as you can. The job is to make the streets safe,” said Mahlhiot

Anthony Jamison said he would like to see the department make changes. “Retrain, change policies, all of the above, you know, not get awards, not have a quota,” said Jamison.

Gwinnett County Police say they did an informal review of Cpl. Lau’s DUI arrests and reached nearly all the same conclusions as Lau.
That review found serious mistakes on three search warrant affidavits.

Cpl. Lau is no longer part of the DUI task force but he is still making DUI arrests.

05/29/2026

𝑮𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 2 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒌𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈-𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑫𝑼𝑰 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒉 By WSBTV.com News Staff January 19, 2026 at 11:41 am

RANDOLPH COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia mother and her two children died after a crash with a wrong-way driver. The other driver was under the influence, according to investigators.
The crash happened Jan. 14 along Hwy 82. Bernedine Spann, 32, and Ja’Leah Spann, 13, were killed in the crash. Jaxton Spann, 7, died several days later on Sunday.

Bernedine also leaves behind another son, who was not in the vehicle at the time of the accident and is now grieving the devastating loss of his mother, brother, and sister,” Rodney Coleman wrote on a GoFundMe page for the family.

Georgia State Patrol told WALB-TV that 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 was driving the wrong-way in her Hyundai Tucson and crashed into the Spann’s Honda Accord. WALB-TV reports Goddard and a passenger in her car were taken to the hospital.

Ja’Leah Spann was an eighth grade at Randolph County Middle School and her brother, Jaxton, attended Randolph County Elementary School. The district remembered Ja’Leah as a girl who “touched many hearts” and Jaxton bringing “joy, light and warmth,” to school.

“As a community, let us lean on one another, extend grace, and hold fast to faith as we walk through this season of mourning together. May God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and minds,” the district said.

A GoFundMe has been set up here for the Spann family.

05/29/2026

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫2️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ 𝐃𝐔𝐈 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐚
Bʏ FOX 5 Aᴛʟᴀɴᴛᴀ Dɪɢɪᴛᴀʟ TᴇᴀᴍUᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇᴅ Mᴀʏ 25, 2026 11:29 PM EDT

ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Public Safety released updated Memorial Day holiday enforcement numbers on Monday morning showing traffic stops, crashes and fatalities all increased overnight as troopers continued statewide patrols during the busy travel weekend.

What we know:

• Officials said the statewide fatality count has now climbed to nine deaths during the 78-hour Memorial Day holiday travel period.
• According to updated numbers released Monday morning, state troopers have made 259 DUI arrests statewide. Authorities have also issued 433 distracted driving citations and 504 seat belt citations.
• Troopers are continuing high-visibility enforcement efforts across Georgia roadways as millions of drivers return home from holiday trips.

• 197 total crash reports
• 108 crash injuries
• 22 crashes involving drivers under the influence
• 8 crashes involving commercial motor vehicles

Officials continue urging drivers to slow down, avoid distractions, buckle up and never drive impaired. As of Monday morning, DPS reported nearly 260 DUI arrests across the state, with 22 of those drivers also being involved in crashes. Authorities previously reported six fatal crashes Sunday morning, but that number has since increased as additional crashes were investigated statewide.
One man impacted by impaired drivers is Steven Benvenisti. He was a college senior in 1989 when a spring break trip to Florida turned into the worst trip he'd ever had. "It was so bad that my parents were actually called in the middle of the night and asked to consent to my organ donation." Benvenisti's family learned he was involved in a serious crash after being hit by an impaired driver. "My legs had been crushed below the knees. I was in the deepest possible coma that one could be in."

05/01/2026

𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑮𝑨𝑳 𝑰𝑴𝑴𝑰𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑻 𝑫𝑼𝑰 𝑲𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑺 𝑻𝑾𝑶 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑮 𝑩𝑶𝒀𝑺 𝑰𝑵 𝑺𝑶𝑼𝑻𝑯 𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑶𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑨
Courtesy of FOX News

An illegal immigrant accused of driving under the influence and killing two young boys in South Carolina is now the subject of an immigration detainer, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Friday.
Eri Otoniel Roblero Perez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, allegedly veered off a road and hit Dereon James Robinson, 12, and Mikhail-Lee Smith, 9, who were riding their bikes on a sidewalk, FOX Carolina reported. Both died at a hospital.
Perez was charged with two counts of felony DUI resulting in death, driving with an open container and driving without a license.
Dereon's mother, Megan, said during a court hearing she was walking behind the children when the crash happened and was "almost hit" herself, WYFF reported.
"I ran to my son while he bled to death," Megan told the judge.
One of Dereon's brothers added, "Now I have to bury my own brother who looked up to me on his own birthday."
DHS confirmed Perez entered the country illegally at an unknown date and time.
"This criminal illegal alien from Mexico had no business being in our country, and now two boys are dead because he decided to drive under the influence," said DHS acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
"Dereon Robinson and Mikhail-Lee Smith should still be with us today," she continued. "Our prayers are with Dereon Robinson’s and Mikhail-Lee Smith’s families."
Perez is being held at the Spartanburg County Detention Center and has been denied bond.

05/01/2026

𝙎𝒐𝙗𝒆𝙧 𝙢𝒂𝙣 𝙘𝒉𝙖𝒓𝙜𝒆𝙙 𝙬𝒊𝙩𝒉 𝑫𝙐𝑰 𝒍𝙚𝒂𝙙𝒔 𝒕𝙤 𝙞𝒏𝙫𝒆𝙨𝒕𝙞𝒈𝙖𝒕𝙞𝒐𝙣 𝙤𝒇 𝒐𝙛𝒇𝙞𝒄𝙚𝒓 𝒘𝙝𝒐 𝒎𝙖𝒅𝙚 𝙖𝒓𝙧𝒆𝙨𝒕
By WSBTV.com News Staff

𝚃𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚍, 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚂𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝙳𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢 𝙵𝙱 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎.

POLK COUNTY, Ga. — A DUI arrest in Rockmart where evidence later proved the driver was not under the influence led police to look at other arrests from the same officer.
Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray learned the Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) Council did not revoke Officer Thomas Jacob Maguire’s certification but put him on probation for a year. That means he can still work right now as a police officer.
“He says, ‘Well, we’re gonna do some field sobriety on you,’” said Allen Wehunt, recalling the night he was pulled over.

“I’m a truck driver by trade, so I lose my license and a DUI, I’m out the door,” Wehunt said. “That could have just totally wiped out my livelihood.”
He said he was driving back from a memorial service that December night when he was arrested and charged with DUI.
“I said, ‘Well, let’s do a breathalyzer.’ (He said), ‘No, Rockmart don’t do breathalyzers anymore,’” Wehunt said.
But Rockmart Police Chief Randy Turner said there are always several breathalyzers on each shift.
Maguire, the arresting officer, resigned in lieu of termination from Rockmart police last year but was hired just seven days later at Tallapoosa Police Department.
Even before working in Rockmart, Maguire was terminated during training from the State Patrol.
He wrote on his Rockmart application that he had a lot of knowledge on DUIs.
Wehunt’s blood-alcohol test finally came back well below the legal limit. It turns out, so did several other DUI arrests by Maguire.
“It was months of sleepless nights worrying,” Wehunt said.
In a termination letter, Chief Turner wrote, “I find it appalling that we had citizens go to jail and they were not impaired and should not have been arrested.”
“I was trying to be as fair as possible,” McGuire said in response to questions on his arrests.
He spoke with Channel 2 by phone, saying he had forgotten to turn his bodycam on during Wehunt’s arrest.
He told a POST investigator that he stood by his decision to arrest in each case.
“I feel as if there needed to be police intervention, but maybe not everybody should have went to the jail,” he told Channel 2.
It cost Allen Wehunt more than $5,000 in attorney fees to fight a DUI charge that police investigators now say never should have happened.
“I support the police as long as they’re good cops, but I’m leery now,” Wehunt said.

05/01/2026

Suspected DUI driver crashes into Alpharetta police vehicles
By WSBTV.com News Staff

(𝒯𝑜 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝒹, 𝒻𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝐿𝒾𝒻𝑒𝒮𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒸𝒽 𝒟𝓇𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒜𝒸𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓂𝓎 𝐹𝐵 𝓅𝒶𝑔𝑒.)

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta police officers are recovering after they were involved in a crash with a suspected DUI driver this past weekend. According to the Alpharetta Police Department, the crash happened around 1:17 a.m. on Jan. 17 on Georgia 400 northbound near Haynes Bridge Road.
Authorities said the suspected DUI crash involved two Alpharetta Police Department vehicles while officers were working to keep the community safe. Police said officers were injured in the crash. The officers, whose identities were not released, sustained minor injuries.
The officers are currently at home recovering.
The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the crash.
GSP says the two police vehicles were on the right shoulder of GA 400 during a traffic stop. A GMC Yukon traveling northbound on GA 400 failed to maintain its lane of travel, hitting the back of the first Alpharetta police vehicle. The impact pushed the first vehicle into the back of the second police vehicle. GSP says an officer and two people who were outside of their vehicles at the time of the crash were hit, resulting in minor injuries. The driver of the Yukon was found to be under the influence.
In a statement, Alpharetta police said that impaired driving puts everyone at risk, including first responders working to keep roadways safe. Officials urge drivers to plan ahead by using a rideshare service, choosing a designated driver, or staying put if alcohol is involved.
The department says it remains committed to DUI enforcement and traffic safety and continues to remind the public that responsible decisions behind the wheel can save lives.

04/01/2026

‘𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙙:’ 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙠 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝘿𝙐𝙄 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨
By Candace McCowan
March 31, 2026 at 6:53 pm EDT

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — The family of a girl killed by a drunk driver three decades ago is warning others. The driver who took her life continues to rack up driving under the influence charges.

It’s been more than 30 years since her 11-year-old stepdaughter Jessica Angel was killed by a drunk driver on Highway 92 in Paulding County.

However, the anger is renewed for her family.

“It just makes me angry,” said Matt Angel, Jessica’s brother.

Jessica’s family is outraged at the driver, Jeffery Palmer, who spent nearly 30 years behind bars for driving drunk and killing Jessica and two family members.

Released in August, Palmer was arrested and charged twice in January for driving under the influence in Paulding County. He’s now serving six months in a plea deal after the two latest DUI charges were merged.

For now, Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Hensen said Palmer will spend every day of the six-month sentence behind bars. He’s earning credit for good behavior.

“What we’re going to do is when an inmate, regardless of whether they have good time or good behavior, they’re going to serve every day that a judge sentences them to,” said Hensen.

“He will absolutely put another family through this,” said Lingerfelt in her warning to others on when Palmer is released.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to the Paulding County Solicitor General, Luana Nolen, who handled Palmer’s recent charges.

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Nolen said in a statement:

“My heart and prayers go out to the family who lost their loved ones back in 1995, as well as any family that loses someone in such a senseless and preventable way.

Under Georgia law, first, second, and third DUI’s within 10 years are misdemeanors punishable by up to 12 months. Those same laws state that an offender cannot serve less than 24 hours on a first DUI, 72 hours on a second DUI and 15 days on a third DUI within 10 years.

Mr. Palmer was represented by the Paulding County State Court Public Defenders Office. After spirited negotiations between his attorney and I, Mr. Palmer decided to enter a negotiated plea to serve 6 months in custody and six additional months on probation to complete the requirements of DUI sentences on March 6, 2026. His Vehicular Homicide conviction in 1996 here in Paulding County played a major role in the vast departure from minimum mandatory DUI sentences.

In addition to the six-month incarceration, Mr. Palmer was also required to complete community service, a Risk Reduction class, a drug and alcohol evaluation, random screens, an ignition interlock, license plate surrender, license suspension and fines with fees, as required in DUI sentences.

When negotiating cases, we attempt to balance punishment against what we would be able to achieve after a trial. Therefore, we always have to negotiate keeping in mind that the law does not permit the State to introduce prior convictions at trial, with few exceptions. In addition, the State is also not entitled to any amount of discovery from a Defendant in misdemeanor cases."

Palmer also has community service, random screens and his license is now suspended after he is released.

However, Jessica’s family pointed out, he was driving with a suspended license when she was killed back in 1995.

©2026 Cox Media Group

01/15/2026

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐛𝐛 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐔𝐈

By Tyisha Fernandes, WSB-TV
January 12, 2026 at 8:23 pm EST
Courtesy W𝑆B T𝑉 𝑁E𝑊S

An elementary school principal is facing DUI charges after she crashed less than half a mile away from her school.
According to this police report, 𝘼𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙡 𝙅𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙫𝙖 had a half-empty bottle of Smirnoff vodka in her car when she crashed. It goes on to say that she refused a field sobriety test and a blood test. The crash happened on Ebenezer Road and Sandy Plains Road on Thursday.

Police say when they arrived, they suspected DUI. That’s when they found the vodka bottle in a white plastic bag near the center console. When Spiva refused a blood test, a judge signed a search warrant, forcing her to give blood.

She is charged with DUI, open container and causing the crash.
Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes spoke to people who have mixed feelings on whether she should keep her job.

“So she can tell you what not to do, but now she’s doing what not to do,” Ayodeji Lawson said. “Considering it’s a DUI, and under the circumstances that it’s an elementary school, I don’t recommend necessarily that she keeps her job due to the fact it’s around kids.”
“I feel like that would be a little harsh,” Dallas Moore said. “To be in jeopardy and outright not have a job anymore, I don’t know that might be a little too much.”

01/12/2026

𝙂𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣’𝙨 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘿𝙐𝙄 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙

By Justin Gray, WSB-TV
December 18, 2025 at 6:58 am EST

𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐘, 𝐆𝐚.
— A Georgia man’s driver’s license was suspended this fall for a crime that took place two decades ago in a state he has never even visited. “I received a letter in the mail the beginning of October, that my license was suspended. That was a surprise,” Justin Jones told Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray.

Even more of a surprise was why: A DUI charge in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Christmas Eve 2005.

“Never been to New Mexico, never driven through New Mexico. I’ve never even stepped foot in the state off a plane,” Jones said.

The high school administrator in Carroll County thought this would be cleared up with a visit to DDS in October. Instead, he’s been fighting for months to get his license back. “The burden of proof has been on me to prove that I wasn’t that person that got a DUI 20 years ago in New Mexico,” he said.

First, he provided a stamped and sealed document from the court clerk in New Mexico stating he has no convictions there. DDS told him that was not good enough, so New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department sent a letter that said:

“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆. 𝑭𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉.”

But when Jones brought that to Georgia DDS, they still would not restore his license.

“Me and my wife celebrated before I left the house. When I got back, I was kind of defeated because I was still suspended,” Jones said. It is now more than two months he has not been legally allowed to drive. “The first week I was Ubering, but that got expensive pretty quickly,” he said.

DDS tells Channel 2 Action News in a statement, “New Mexico DMV sent the DUI electronically to the DDS and it was added to his record … We contacted NM and requested they submit a negate to correct their error. Once the negate is received from them then the DUI will be removed by DDS.”
“I’m just hoping to get someone who can get to yes, you know? Somebody who has some common sense to say, ‘You know what, this person is not the same person. Let’s lift this suspension,’” Jones said.

Channel 2 Action News asked DDS if they needed that electronic record change from New Mexico, why did they keep telling Jones to go get those letters. They did not respond to those follow-up questions.

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