Mark Locklear

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Name:
Locklear, Mark Anthony

Date of Booking:
08/27/2026

Reason(s) For Booking:
Consumption/Open Container of Alcoholic Beverage in Passenger Area

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 August 27, 2026 just after 1730 hours I was in the area of University Parkway and Jackson Trail Road looking for a green Isuzu Rodeo that had been the subject of a lookout given by Barrow County Dispatch. Prior to the lookout, dispatch had received multiple calls about the Isuzu being heavily damaged and the driver “burning tires”, riding closely to the rear bumper of vehicles around him, and being “all over the road”. One caller had told dispatch the license plate on the Isuzu was [REDACTED]. The final caller had informed dispatch the driver was traveling south on Jackson Trail Road toward University Parkway at approximately 1730 hours.

When I got to intersection of University Parkway and Jackson Trail I continued west hoping to catch up to the driver. At 1733 hours, approximately 1/2 mile west of Jackson Trail Road, I observed a green Isuzu Rodeo with heavy damage pulled onto the right shoulder. Before I even got stopped behind it, I observed the driver’s side fender hanging off and smoke coming from under the hood. The Isuzu displayed Georgia tag [REDACTED].

I informed dispatch I was out with a motorist on the side of the roadway. I exited my patrol vehicle and walked to the driver’s window. I asked the driver what was wrong and he informed me he had just struck a deer. I could immediately hear his speech was slurred and see that his eyes were glassy. I asked him where and he told me he did not know the exact location but that it had just occurred. I asked him where he was coming from and he told me he had just left his brother’s residence somewhere in Statham. I asked him where he was going and he claimed he was going to a friend’s residence a short distance away.

Based on the calls made to dispatch and my observations, I suspected the male had been driving under the influence of alcohol. I wanted to further my investigation, so I asked him to step out of his vehicle. He refused so I asked him again to step out. This time he opened the door and began stepping out. With the door opened I observed a white 12 ounce can in the driver’s floorboard. I also observed a white can in a koozie in the passenger floorboard (I could see that it was not open). When the male got out, I asked him to walk to the rear of his vehicle. I had to ask him twice to gain his compliance. As he walked, I observed he was unsteady on his feet. I asked him for his driver’s license and he provided them. They identified him as Mark Locklear. I asked him if the information on it was correct and he informed me he had moved to Alabama. He provided an address in Alabama. When he spoke, I could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. I asked him if he had consumed any alcoholic beverages and he admitted he had.

Mark was swaying and unsteady standing, so I asked him to lean against the push bumper on my patrol vehicle. He told me he was fine and did not need to sit down. I asked him to stay where he was while I went to see how badly his vehicle was damaged. I walked to the front of his vehicle and observed heavy damage on the driver’s side, including wood and dirt between the wheel and tire. I did not observe any signs that a deer had been struck so I suspected he had driven off the roadway into a ditch.

When I walked back to Mark, he asked me why I pulled him over. I reminded him that I did not pull him over and that he had pulled over on his own. He told me he was stopping because of how badly his vehicle was damaged from hitting a deer. I told him I had only stopped to check on him.

I went to my patrol vehicle and ran Mark’s driver’s license and the vehicle’s tag through GCIC. They both returned valid. I exited my patrol vehicle and Mark asked me what was going on. I informed him I was waiting on another deputy to arrive so I could perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests on him. He immediately informed me he would not be taking any test. I clarified by asking him if he would be willing to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and he told me he would not.

I felt like probable cause to arrest Mark for Driving Under the Influence already existed, so I ordered him to stand up and to put his hands behind his back. He stated, “No” so I took hold of his right arm and pulled him off the guardrail. I ordered him to put his hands behind his back, and he refused to do so. I grabbed both of his arms and pulled them behind his back while I informed him he was under arrest for Driving Under the Influence. He argued that I had to give him a breath test and I informed him that was not how things worked and that he had refused the test I had mentioned.

After Mark was in custody, I read him Georgia’s Implied Consent Notice for Drivers Over 21 from my green card and requested a blood test. The whole time I was reading Mark cursed at me, told me to shut up, and told me I had to take him for a breath test. When I asked him if he would consent to a blood test he informed me he was not going to answer any of my questions. I informed dispatch I had read Implied Consent and that Mark had refused.

I searched Mark’s vehicle incident to arrest and discovered the white can in the driver’s floorboard was an empty 12-ounce Natural Light beer can. I also found 3 empty 50 milliliter Fireball Cinnamon Whisky (33% alcohol) in the center console and a mason jar of an unknown spirit approximately 1/3 full in the passenger seat. After completing the search incident to arrest I inventoried the vehicle and turned it over to Brown and Brown upon their arrival.

I transported Mark to the Barrow County Detention Center and released him to detention staff. I issued him citations for Driving Under the Influence and Open Container. I also completed a DDS-1205 form and confiscated his driver’s license.

Prior to and after transport I searched my patrol vehicle.

[End of Narrative]

All information is sourced directly from the official, public court database. Case history is organized and curated by The Georgia Gazette staff. The “What this means:” explanations are written by AI and reviewed by our staff before publishing.

Court records are subject to change at the court’s discretion. The Georgia Gazette is not responsible for errors or omissions. Nothing here is legal advice. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Case History:

9/1/26

APPEARANCE BOND POSTED

What this means: Mark Anthony Locklear was released from custody after posting an appearance bond following his August 27, 2026 arrest in Barrow County. An appearance bond is a financial guarantee that the defendant will show up for all required court dates. If Locklear fails to appear, the bond can be forfeited.

9/30/26

ACCUSATION FILED — 2 COUNTS AGAINST MARK ANTHONY LOCKLEAR

What this means: On September 30, 2026, Solicitor-General Kyle Thompson filed a formal accusation against Mark Anthony Locklear in the State Court of Barrow County, Case No. 26-ST-00969. The accusation was signed by Chief Assistant Solicitor General Kristen L. Murphy and filed with Clerk of State Court Janie Jones. An accusation is the formal charging document used in State Court — it serves the same purpose as an indictment but does not require a grand jury.

Count 1 charges Mark Anthony Locklear with Driving Under the Influence (Less Safe) — Alcohol, in violation of O.C.G.A. 40-6-391(A)(1). Locklear is accused of operating a motor vehicle on University Parkway in Barrow County on or about August 27, 2026, while allegedly under the influence of alcohol to the extent that it was less safe for him to drive.

Count 2 charges Mark Anthony Locklear with Open Container, in violation of O.C.G.A. 40-6-253. Locklear is accused of unlawfully possessing an open alcoholic beverage container in the passenger area of a motor vehicle on University Parkway, a public highway, on or about August 27, 2026.

The State’s witness list identifies a witness from the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office. The plea section of the accusation form is blank, meaning no plea has been entered at this time.