Joshua Hill

Name:
Hill, Joshua Allen

Date of Booking:
07/12/2026

Reason(s) For Booking:
POSSESSION OF A SCHEDULE II CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF A SCHEDULE II CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

DUI – DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS

FAILURE TO MAINTAIN LANE

POSSESSION AND USE OF DRUG RELATED OBJECTS

POSSESSION OF A SCHEDULE III, IV OR V CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE

Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]

On 07/12/2026 at approximately 2030 hours I, Corporal O’Connell, was observing traffic while sitting at the entrance to the Red Roof Inn. It was at this time I observed a blue in color Buick Lacrosse heading northbound. The driver had an unusual seating position and seemed to be nervous by my presence as he looked around quickly, appeared lost, and quickly jerked the wheel. The driver, later identified as Joshua Hill, proceeded onto the on ramp for 1-85 NB from US-441. It was at this time I merged on to the interstate in an effort to conduct a traffic stop.

Hill knew I was following him based on his driving behavior. Hill would often accelerate and change lanes when ever my patrol vehicle got close to him. It was at this time I observed Hill fail to maintain his lane crossing completely over the fog line on the inside lane of the interstate. Hill shortly there after changed lanes again to the outside lane as to not be in front of my vehicle. It was at this time I changed lane as well in an attempt to stay behind Hill. He observed this maneuver and proceeded to time his next lane change perfectly between a semi and another truck in the inside lane. This worked only momentarily as I was eventually able to catch back up with hill. It should be noted Hill’s driving manner was very jerky and was unable to steady the car in addition to failing to maintain his lane. His speed also varied often speeding up well over the speed limit and slowing down. It was at this time I conducted a traffic stop on Hill by activating my emergency equipment at the 1-85 NB 154 MM.

I immediately saw hill making large furtive movements inside the car reaching around as if he was hiding something. As I conducted my driver side approach to speak with Hill, I observed his body to have tremors. I informed Hill for the reason for the stop and asked if there was any reason for this behavior. I asked Hill if he was on any medication or suffered from any medical problems to which he stated, no. Hill stated it was due to a combination of a lack of sleep and copious amounts of alcohol. It should be noted Hill speech was very choppy and had an unusual cadence not consistent with a sober person. Hill stated he was traveling from Columbus, GA to Belmont, NC. I asked Hill to exit the vehicle to which he complied. It should be noted Hill reached all around the driver’s seat as if he was attempting to hide something.

Once out of the vehicle I inquired as to how much caffein Hill had consumed. He stated he consumed three red bulls over the last six to seven hours. This amount of caffeine would not make your body tremor in this manner. Furthermore I did not notice and pupil reaction in his eyes that would be consistent with a sober individual. This is important as there is still daylight outside and there are bright flashing lights in his face and his pupils are not reacting at all. When pressed he added that he drank some coffee as well. It was at this time I asked Hill if he had any objections if I looked inside his vehicle to which he did not give consent.

It was at this time I ran the vehicle’s tag through GCIC/NCIC which was bearing a Minnesota tag of [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and yielded no wants. Furthermore, I ran Hill’s Arizona ID which returned valid and no wants. It was at this I asked Hill if he would partake in Standard Field Sobriety tests and ARIDE, to which he agreed. The fact he agreed to this and not a search of his vehicle is odd due to his prior statements of wanting to get home to his kids, as this would take more time.

I asked Hill if he had any medical conditions that would hinder him from partaking in Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus. As I attempted to instruct Hill into the starting position it proved difficult as Hill initially stood in front of me and faced the opposite direction. Hill stated he had eye shingles at one point but would not prevent him from following the stimulus. I placed Hill in the starting position and explained the exercise to which he stated he understood. While conducting the exercise I noticed Hill’s body continued to shake and sway back and forth. There were no clues observed during this stage.

While in the appropriate starting position I had Hill complete the exercise of lack of convergence. I made two large circles around his face and brought the stimulus to the bridge of his nose which would make a sober person cross their eyes. However, Hills eyes did not cross. As I brought this stimulus into the bridge of his nose the first time his eyes stayed straight. The second time I brought the stimulus in his left eye stayed straight and his right eye looked off to the right or away from his nose. As I repeated the exercise again, as trained, his eyes repeated this behavior. Hill stated he was watching the stimulus and felt as if his eyes were crossing, however, they were not. This is indicative of someone who under the influence of a narcotic.

The following exercise I had Hill complete was the walk and turn. It proved very difficult for Hill to get in the starting position as it appeared his balance was very off. Furthermore, Hill stated it was hard to balance due to his uncontrollable shaking. When asked why this is, he stated the caffeine and the passing traffic was the issue. Hill would continuously come out of the starting position due to his lack of his ability to balance. Hill stated he understood the instructions and we began. Hill was placed on a surface which he agreed was reasonably leveled but once started he could not complete his first step and had to restart. Upon completion of the exercise, I observed the following clues;

-Cannot balance during instructions
-Stops while walking
-Misses heel to toe
-Steps off line
-Uses arms for balance

In total five clues were observed which would constitute a failure of this exercise due to impairment of some kind.

The next exercise I had Hill complete was the one leg stand. I placed Hill in the starting position while I explained the exercise. Hill stated he understood and was instructed to begin. I observed the following clues;

-Sways
-Uses arms for balance
-Hops
-Puts foot down

In total four out of four clues were observed which would dictate a fail and would be indicative of someone who is under the influence.

The final exercise I had Hill partake in was modified Romberg balance test. During the instructional stage I observed one of Hill’s eyes begin to dilate larger than the other. Due to Hill previously stating he had no medical issues this this an indicator of someone who is high on narcotics. I completed explaining the exercise and administered the test. I observed Hill to sway and have eye tremors to match his ongoing and still present body tremors. Hill was able to estimate the passage of thirty seconds.

Based on the above facts and circumstances I found that there was enough probable cause to place Hill under arrest for DUI drugs. It was at this time I placed Hill in double locked, tension checked handcuffs, searched him, and secured him in the back seat of my patrol car. I then began to inventory the vehicle where I located multiple pills in the center console as they were falling out of a silver tin container. Inside this container there were multiple pills, some being prescription pills and some being controlled substances. Three of the pills were peach color, round, and had the imprint of “E 505 2 0” which was identified as an amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. This pill is classified as a schedule two controlled substance.

Another baggie had one singular three sided white pill with the imprint of “M 8” which was identified as Hydromorphone Hydrochloride. This pill is also classified as a schedule two substance. A further search of the car under the driver seat revealed a green in color pencil bag. Inside of this bag were two recently used smoking glass pipes which are commonly used for ingesting illegal narcotics. Additionally inside this bag was another bag which contained multiple alprazolam bars, also known as Xanax. In total there were 51 intact Xanax bars and two bar broken in half making 53 total bars. All of these pills were within reach of the driver and would explain his body language validate being under the influence. Additionally two large bags of Kratom were located.

Implied consent was read and Hill refused. I advised Hill of his Miranda warnings to which he agreed to speak with me. Hill admitted to the Xanax bars being inside the vehicle. As to the other narcotics he stated he was in Columbus for the weekend to “let loose.” He stated as everyone was leaving the party at the hotel room he grabbed what he could find so nothing was left behind. He stated he was planning on cleaning the car out upon arriving at his destination. Hill also stated his driving behavior was a result of my presence validating my previously stated suspicion.

Ultimately Curts responded to the scene to remove the vehicle. Hill was transported to the Jail without incident. The back seat of my patrol car was checked and cleared after transport. Based on the above facts and circumstances warrants were completed for the following; Possession with intent to distribute schedule 4 – Xanax, Possession of schedule two – amphetamine, Possession of schedule two – Hydromorphone Hydrochloride, and possession of drug related objects. Two citations were issued for DUI drugs and failure to maintain lane. The narcotics, property receipt, and GBI submission form were submitted into evidence locker #1. All contact was documented on my body worn camera.

[End of Narrative]