Bernard Buernor

Name:
Buernor, Bernard Buernortey

Date of Booking:
08/04/2025

Reason(s) For Booking:
Knowingly Driving a Motor Vehicle on Suspended, Canceled, Revoked Registration

Improper Lane Change/Failure to Maintain Lane

No Insurance

DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (less safe)

Hit and Run; Duty of Driver to Stop or Return to Scene of Accident

No Insurance

Following Too Closely

Knowingly Driving a Motor Vehicle on Suspended, Canceled, Revoked Registration

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 August 4, 2025 at 1642 hours I was dispatched to the area of Long Drive and Elmarry Lane in reference to a motor vehicle crash. I responded without using my emergency lights or siren.

Prior to my arrival, the caller informed dispatch the driver who had struck him had just left the scene. He stated the vehicle was a black Nissan Altima bearing Georgia tag [REDACTED]. He described the driver as a tall, older black male with gray facial hair. When I got to the intersection of Tom Miller Road and Haymon Morris Road I observed a black Nissan Altima in the ditch. It had struck the culvert at the driveway of [700 BLOCK] Tom Miller Road and was badly damaged. As I passed it to get behind it I observed a black male with gray facial hair sitting in the passenger seat. I parked behind it and observed the tag matched the tag that had been given by the original caller from the crash.

I walked to the passenger window and made contact with the male. I asked him what he was doing but I could not understand his answer. He was shuffling through the vehicle’s contents, so I asked him to get out. He could not open the door due to the damage to the vehicle, so he attempted to climb out of the window. He struggled to orient himself properly to climb out, so it took him multiple attempts. Once out, he swayed and struggled to stand up straight. I had him walk to the back of his vehicle and he had to use the vehicle for balance. He was wearing only one shoe and barefoot on the other foot.

I asked the male where he had just come from, and he informed me he was at a friend’s house. He could not tell me his friend’s address, but he knew it was in a neighborhood just up from where we were. I asked him if he had been drinking alcohol and he admitted he had, but claimed he only had one beer. He could not tell me what kind of beer when I asked him. He provided his Georgia driver’s license and they identified him as Bernard Buernor.

I asked the male how he ended up in the ditch he was in. He stated as he approached the 4-way stop at Tom Miller Road and Haymon Morris Road traffic slowed down abruptly and he had to swerve to avoid a collision. I looked behind us and observed the male had left the roadway and driven in the ditch nearly 100 yards before striking the culvert.

I had the original caller respond to our location. He provided his information and was identified as [VICTIM #1] by his driver’s license. I asked him about the original crash and he told me he had been parked on Long Drive in front of a house under construction. He was completing paperwork from a job he had just completed with Bernard struck him from behind. They spoke and contacted 911, but after approximately 10 minutes Bernard got in his vehicle and left. He stated there was still debris from Bernard’s vehicle at the scene of this collision (I confirmed this after I left this crash scene). After I had all of his information I allowed him to leave the scene.

I tried to get a breath sample from Bernard in a portable intoxilyzer, but I was not successful. I asked him if I could check his eyes and he stated I could. I asked him to follow my fingertip with only his eyes and to keep his head still. I first checked for equal pupil size and equal tracking. I then checked for a lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees, and vertical nystagmus. I conducted two passes of each exam. Bernard moved his head and frequently took his eyes off my fingertip, but when he did follow it I was able to see that both eyes tracked equally and both pupils were the same size. I also observed the lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees.

I did not feel that I could safely conduct the walk-and-turn or the one-leg stand.

I observed Bernard destroyed the mailbox at [700 BLOCK] Tom Miller Road. I got the information of the residents there for crash report purposes.

Based on my observations, Bernard’s admission, and Bernard’s driving, I placed him under arrest. I checked the handcuffs for proper fit, double-locked the handcuffs, and searched his clothing and person incident to arrest. I read him Georgia’s Implied Consent Notice for Drivers over 21 from my green card and requested a blood sample. He stated he would provide a sample.

I asked dispatch to send the next “list-wrecker” and Clinton’s responded to the scene. Bernard’s vehicle was turned over to them (the vehicle returned on GCIC as not having insurance and having suspended registration, both of which were confirmed using the Georgia Department of Revenue).

I transported Bernard to Northeast Georgia Medical Center- Barrow and at 1833 hours phlebotomist [REDACTED] took a blood sample from him. She sealed the kit and turned it over to me. I later turned it over to Deputy L. Bradley to place in a secure evidence locker.

I transported Bernard to the Barrow County Detention Center and released him to detention staff without incident. I issued him the following citations under two case numbers due to there being two separate crashes:

2025-00049210- Hit and Run, No Insurance, Driving on Suspended Registration, Following too closely
2025-00049217- DUI, Less Safe, No Insurance, Driving on Suspended Registration, Failure to Maintain Lane

Prior to and after transport I searched my patrol vehicle.

[End of Narrative]