Charlotte Tatum

Name:
Tatum, Charlotte Juanita

Date of Booking:
10/09/2025

Reason(s) For Booking:
DUI – DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL – M

HIT AND RUN; DUTY OF DRIVER TO STOP AT OR RETURN TO SCENE OF ACCIDENT – M

Open Container – M

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 October 9th, 2025 at approximately 15:01 hours, I responded to a call from dispatch in reference to a Hit & Run Accident. The call for service stated an accident had occurred near US Highway 80 and its intersection with Main Street (within the incorporated limits of Garden City, Chatham County Georgia).

Description/Location of Vehicle:

Dispatch advised a dark gray Lexus sedan left the accident scene and continued driving towards Dean Forest Rd on US 80 westbound. The tag provided by dispatch for the offending vehicle was [REDACTED], issued by Tennessee. Ofc. Hanafin stated he found a vehicle matching the description provided and conducted a traffic stop on US 80, just east of the intersection with Dean Forest Rd.

I arrived on scene just after he announced the traffic stop and observed a dark gray Lexus sedan with Tennessee tag [REDACTED] attached to the rear. The vehicle also had significant damage to the front end, which appeared to have occurred recently.

Personal Contact:

I approached the vehicle and stood next to Ofc. Hanafin who informed me he had asked for the driver’s license and registration. The driver, identified as Charlotte Tatum, was digging through papers and now handing officers random invoices and receipts. After she had provided the documents requested, she continued to hand us irrelevant paperwork. While next to the vehicle I observed:

• Odor of an alcoholic beverage
• Glossy/Bloodshot Eyes
• Slurred Speech
• Slow/deliberate movements while using her phone and going through documents, consistent with someone experiencing hand/eye coordination difficulties.

I returned to my vehicle and verified the information for Ms. Tatum, and her vehicle before providing the information to Ofc. Turner, who was at the accident scene and was interviewing the occupants of the other vehicle involved.

I then approached Ms. Tatum Again and asked her to step out of the vehicle. While standing behind her vehicle I observed the following:

• Unsteady on her feet
• Continued slurred speech
• Odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her person

I asked Ms. Tatum why she was in the Savannah/Garden City area, and she stated she was in town for a “Spa Weekend” with some friends. I asked if she had consumed any alcoholic beverages or prescription medications and she stated she had not. I asked her if she had been involved in a car accident and she stated she had not. I then asked if her vehicle was damaged when she left the house and she stated “no”. I asked her why her vehicle was damaged now, and she stated she didn’t know, and she was not the insurance company.

I asked Ms. Tatum if she would be willing to participate in standardized field sobriety testing and she asked if I had a warrant. I informed her a warrant was not relevant, and the testing was voluntary. She replied she was a legal secretary, and she knew her rights, declining to participate in the test.

Arrest:

Based on my observations of her physical manifestations, combimed with the decision to flee an accident or possibly not know she was involved in a vehicle accident, I placed Ms. Tatum into handcuffs, checked for fit with double locks engaged, informing her she was being arrested.

I then read Ms. Tatum the Ga implied consent notice for suspects 21 years of age and older (DDS-354, green card) and upon its completion I asked her to submit to the chemical test of her blood. She failed to provide a valid answer and stated she could not provide an answer without speaking to her attorney. Immediately after, I checked the passenger compartment of the vehicle (area within reach and accessible from the driver seat) and located multiple open/consumed containers of alcoholic beverages.

• Multiple miniature bottles of FireBall (alcoholic beverage)
• Buzz Ball Chillers (Labeled 15% alcohol by volume)

Post Arrest:

Ms. Tatum was transported to Memorial Hospital for clearance prior to entering the CCDC. She was assigned a bond of $6000 and charged with DUI – Less Safe – Alcohol, Hit & Run, and Open Container of Alcohol in a Motor Vehicle. Ms. Tatum was issued a DDS-1205 form, received copies of her citations, arraignment waiver, and tow form. Ms Tatum refused to sign any issued paperwork. The vehicle was removed from the scene by Sapp’s Wrecker Service.

[End of Narrative]