Claudia Sandoval

Name:
Sandoval, Claudia Elisa

Date of Booking:
01/09/2022

Reason(s) For Booking:
Driving Wrong Side of Road

DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol to the extent that it is less safe for the person to drive

Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the officer’s narrative report. We do not fix any spelling or grammatical errors. Any changes made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist.]

On January 9, 2022, at about 0325 hours, I was contacted by Barrow County Dispatch and requested to be en route to a crash with injuries on University Parkway at Christmas Avenue. I was informed that the extent of the injuries was unknown at that time but the crash was a result of a wrong-way driver. Later it was found that Barrow County Dispatch was receiving calls, reporting a wrong-way driver and the unknown caller advised Dispatch of the crash.

Upon my arrival, I observed a 2018 Jeep Compass (Georgia tag; [REDACTED]) off the roadway, in the ditch, on the north side of University Parkway. I observed a 2016 Jeep Patriot (Georgia tag; [REDACTED]) sitting at the stop bar on University Parkway Westbound at Christmas Avenue.

Lt. Hansen met with me and informed me that no drivers received serious injuries but the driver of the Patriot, [REDACTED] did receive an injury to her hand as a result of the crash. He also told me that the driver of the Compass, Claudia Sandoval was reported to have been driving east on University Parkway in the westbound lanes. He also told me that she (Claudia) might be under the influence of alcohol.

I went and spoke to Claudia about the crash. I asked her what happened, and she said while trying to turn off of University Parkway onto Christmas Avenue, “we hit”. She said that she was driving home from work (Kani House in Cumming, Georgia) and heading to her residence in Monroe. While speaking to Claudia, I could smell the strong odor commonly associated with an alcoholic beverage coming from her breath/person. I asked her if she had consumed any alcoholic beverages and she said, “one, two, or three beers.” I asked her to confirm that amount and she said two (2) 12oz beers about an hour ago. While listening to Claudia, I noticed that her speech was thick and slurred and she was unsteady on her feet.

I asked Claudia if she was willing to do any voluntary field sobriety exercises to check her ability to drive and she said, “not at this time”. I asked Claudia if she was willing to provide a breath sample for a handheld alco-sensor and she said, “not at this time.” I asked Claudia if she was injured or had any physical disabilities that would prohibit her from walking or doing exercises and she said no.

Based on my observations, the traffic violation(s), the general demeanor of Claudia, and the totality of the circumstances, I believe Claudia was operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and is unable to operate a vehicle safely. I placed Claudia under arrest for DUI-Less Safe and Driving on the Wrong Side of the Roadway.

She was secured in double-locked handcuffs that were checked to make sure they were not too tight. I read her the Georgia Implied Consent Notice for Suspects ages 21 years and older. Claudia refused to submit to a State Administered test of her blood. Her purse and vehicle were searched for evidence of intoxicants but nothing was located. She was transported to the Barrow County Detention Center by Deputy Wyatt for processing. I provided her with copies of her citations and issued her a DDS 1205 form. My interactions were captured on the Watch Guard body camera.

Witness statements are attached. The witness all stated that Claudia was driving the wrong way on University Parkway and casused the crash.