Jose Ortiz-Castillo

Name:
Ortiz-Castillo, Jose Juan

Date of Booking:
09/27/2026

Reason(s) For Booking:
Willful Obstruction of Law Enforcement Officers-Misdemeanor

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

Giving False Name, Address, or Birthdate to Law Enforcement Officer

Driving while License Suspended or Revoked – 2nd Offense within 5 years

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

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 09-26-2026 at 2102 hours, while on routine patrol operating marked Winder Police Department patrol vehicle #395, I observed a passenger car bearing Georgia license plate [REDACTED] traveling eastbound on East Athens St. near N. Williams St. A GCIC/NCIC inquiry indicated that the vehicle’s registration was cancelled. I initiated a traffic stop by activating my emergency equipment (lights/sirens), where the vehicle came to a stop at a gas pump at the Shell Gas Station (125 E. Midland Ave. Winder, Ga. 30680).

I approached the vehicle and made contact with the sole occupant and driver, who was in actual physical control of the vehicle. I explained the reason for the stop and requested his driver’s license and registration. The driver stated he had no physical license or identification on his person, claimed the vehicle belonged to his daughter, and stated he was a commercial driver returning from an out-of-state haul. The driver verbally identified himself and wrote down “Jose Jesus Ortiz” with a date of birth of [REDACTED BY AGENCY] 1966, but subsequently gave conflicting statements claiming he was born in 1960. While speaking with the driver, I detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and observed bloodshot, glassy, hazy eyes.

Inside the front passenger floorboard, I observed an alcoholic beverage container inside a brown paper bag; upon receiving consent to inspect it, Ofc. Howe located a mostly full beer can with an intact tab that had ruptured from a puncture hole, leaking fluid onto the floorboard. Due to the physical indicators of intoxication, I requested Ofc. Howe to administer the Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) upon the driver’s consent to participate in them. The driver displayed multiple validated clues of impairment across the evaluations, demonstrating central nervous system impairment consistent with alcohol consumption. The driver was offered a preliminary breath test (PBT), which he refused. See Officer Howe’s supplement report for further regarding the SFST.

Based on the totality of circumstances that includes the odor of alcohol, glassy/hazy eyes, the ruptured beer can, and observed clues of impairment on field sobriety evaluations, I placed the driver under arrest for Driving Under the Influence (Less Safe). Handcuffs were applied behind his back, double-locked, and checked for fit, and a search incident to arrest yielded $90.35 in U.S. currency but no contraband or means of escape. I read the driver the Georgia Implied Consent Notice for suspects age 21 and over, requesting a chemical test of his blood; the driver verbally agreed by stating, “Yes.” Immediately following his agreement, I advised him of his Miranda rights, which he invoked by refusing to answer questions without an attorney.

While on scene, and with the assistance of Ofc. Howe, inquiries revealed that the biographical information (“Jose Jesus Ortiz”) initially provided by the driver actually belonged to a different subject who was observed to be in close proximity to the scene. I was informed by Ofc. Howe that the Jose Jesus Ortiz subject disclosed that the arrestee was born in 1982, but was uncertain of his birth month and day. Using this information, Ofc. Howe cross-referenced departmental booking records and positively identified the driver as Jose Ortiz-Castillo (DOB: [REDACTED]).

A GCIC query confirmed Ortiz-Castillo’s driver’s license was suspended stemming from a prior DUI conviction. I formally advised Ortiz-Castillo of his charges: DUI Less Safe (O.C.G.A. 40-6-391), Driving While License Suspended (O.C.G.A. 40-5-121), Operation of a Vehicle with Cancelled Registration (O.C.G.A. 40-6-15), Giving False Information to Law Enforcement (O.C.G.A. 16-10-25), and Obstruction (O.C.G.A. 16-10-24). The vehicle was subsequently turned over on scene to the licensed relative.

Upon securing Ortiz-Castillo into a seatbelt, I transported him to Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Barrow – 316 N. Broad St. Winder, Ga. 30680 for the agreed-upon blood draw. Upon arrival at the hospital Ortiz-Castillo recanted his prior agreement and stated, “I am refusing all testing”, “Nobody is going to touch me.” I then transported Ortiz-Castillo to Winder Police Department headquarters to obtain a judicial search warrant for his blood.

Ortiz-Castillo was secured in the WPD patrol office under the continuous supervision of Officer Howe and myself while I conferred with my shift supervisor and prepared a Barrow County Magistrate Court Search Warrant Affidavit. The affidavit outlined probable cause establishing the cancelled registration traffic stop, actual physical control of the vehicle, the odor of alcohol, bloodshot/glassy eyes, SFST clues, and identity obstruction. Contact was established via telephone with the on-call Barrow County Magistrate Court Judge, who instructed me to present the affidavit at her residence.

I presented the search warrant affidavit and application to the Magistrate Judge at her residence. The affidavit was formally sworn to, and the Magistrate Judge signed and issued the search warrant at 2312 hours on 09-26-2026, authorizing the collection of two vials of blood utilizing a standard GBI toxicology collection kit. While I was en route to NGMC-Barrow from the Magistrate Judge’s residence, Ofc. Howe transported Ortiz-Castillo back to NGMC Barrow for the search warrant execution. Inside the examination room, I presented Ortiz-Castillo with a copy of the search warrant and advised him that the court had ordered the collection of his blood. Ortiz-Castillo refused to comply, arguing officers lacked permission, asserting constitutional rights, and demanding an attorney.

When Ortiz-Castillo tensed his body and actively resisted, assisting officers, myself, and hospital security staff placed him onto the hospital examination bed, utilizing physical stabilization to control his limbs and safely secure his arm. NGMC Phlebotomist – [REDACTED] then successfully executed the blood draw, filling two blood vials from the GBI collection kit. Following the blood draw, Ortiz-Castillo was transported to the Barrow County Detention Center and relinquished into the custody of detention deputies along with his personal property, including the $90.35 in cash/coin. A complete copy of the executed search warrant was placed into Ortiz-Castillo’s property at the jail facility.

I returned to the Winder Police Department and completed the GBI Division of Forensic Sciences (DOFS) Blood Alcohol/Toxicology submission documentation, requesting analysis of the blood alcohol concentration.

The two blood vials were packaged in the standard GBI blood alcohol/toxicology box, secured with tamper-evident tape, initialed, and documented on Evidence Property Receipt A-29943. The evidence was entered into LERMS and placed in WPD temporary refrigeration locker #018A. The Blood Alcohol/Toxicology Request Form, which had been completed and signed by the NGMC phlebotomist – [REDACTED], was included with the submission.

I issued Jose a Superior Court venue citation for DUI for submission to the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) for the appropriate administrative license action.

The rear compartment of my marked patrol vehicle was search and cleared of any contraband and/or means of escape prior and subsequent to Jose entering and exiting my assigned vehicle throughout the course of this incident.

Warrants will be procured at a later time. A supplemental report will be completed and attached to this case file when the warrants are obtained.

[End of Narrative]