Frederick St.Clair

Name:
St.Clair, Frederick Gene

Date of Booking:
07/04/2023

Reason(s) For Booking:
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 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 July 4, 2023, around 7:08 PM, I, K9 Sergeant Stokes, arrested an intoxicated driver while working a special detail at the St. Marys Fourth of July festival. I was assigned to foot patrol on St. Marys Street in 1 St. Marys, Georgia, 31558 (Camden County).

While conducting foot patrol along St. Marys Street, I observed Lt. Winkle speaking with a male operating a side-by-side all-terrain vehicle on St. Marys Street. At this time during the festival, St. Marys Street had very heavy foot traffic due to the festival and all of the vendors that filled the street. Also, the section of roadway was clearly blocked off by bright yellow barricades throughout downtown preventing motorized vehicles from entering the street.

While Lt. Winkle spoke with him, I immediately noticed the male’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot. Lt. Winkle instructed the male to safely pull forward and turn around to exit the festival area. As the male tried to listen and follow the directions, it became apparent that he could not focus or complete two tasks simultaneously.

Being an Advanced Roadside Impairment Enforcement Officer, I recognized that as a key sign of impairment of an alcoholic beverage, dividing the consumer’s attention. As the male finally was able to turn his vehicle around after numerous attempts, I instructed him to pull to the side safely and exit the vehicle.

Once off the all-terrain vehicle, I spoke to the male about why he was driving through a huge crowd of people and the barricades. The male responded, “I just wanted to take my parents to the waterfront.” I asked him if he realized that he was the only vehicle on the road and that they were hundreds of people walking around, but he could not give a logical answer.

While speaking with them closely, I detected the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath. I questioned the male if he had consumed any alcoholic beverage, and he said, “Honestly, yes.” I requested the male to provide me with a valid license, and he handed me his Georgia driver’s license. Once I had possession of his license, I placed the male, identified as Mr. Frederick St. Clair, in double-locked handcuffs.

Once the male was detained for suspicion of driving under the influence, I escorted him to where I parked my patrol vehicle on Wheeler Street and away from the crowd. Once we were at my patrol vehicle, I asked Mr. St. Clair if he would conduct the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFSTs), which he agreed to.

I then conducted SFSTs with the following indications:

Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus:

-lack of smooth pursuit
-could not successfully complete the exercise

Walk and Turn:

-cannot balance during instructions
-started prior to being told to do so
-steps off the line
-uses arms to balance
-improper turn
-incorrect number of steps

One Leg Stand:

-swayed
-used his arms to balance
-hops
-put his foot done prior to completion.

Based on the results of SFSTs, I concluded that Mr. St. Clair was too impaired to operate a vehicle upon the roadway safely. He was then placed under arrest for DUI. Mr. St. Clair was then read Georgia’s implied consent from a prepared card. After asking him if he understood what I read to him, he consented to take the State-administered blood test.

I requested an officer on patrol to meet with me and transport Mr. St. Clair to the Southeast Georgia Health System – Camden Campus ER for the state blood draw. Officer Wilkinson arrived and took custody of Mr. St. Clair. A blood draw was conducted, and Mr. St. Clair was transported and booked into the Camden County Jail without further incident.

Mr. St. Clair was booked in on a citation (S12123052) for Driving Under the Influence Less Safe pending blood results from GBI. A GBI toxicology test kit will be submitted and sent to GBI.

[End of Narrative]