Annie Fortner

Name:
Fortner, Annie

Date of Booking:
03/23/2026

Reason(s) For Booking:
IMPROPER BACKING

DUI – 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 Monday, March 23, 2026, at 1445 hours, was dispatched to a single-vehicle crash on Bill Smith Drive in Cherokee County.

Upon arrival, I came in contact with Cherokee County Deputy Hopson, who advised that the driver of the white Ford Explorer appeared to be under the influence. He stated that the driver identified as Annie Laurie Fortner D.O.B. [REDACTED BY AGENCY]/1985 DL#[REDACTED] (GA) stated that she had drank 2 tall boy Smirnoff Ice drinks and to take her in. I approached Mrs. Fortner and immediately could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her breath as we spoke. I also noticed her eyes were bloodshot and watery.

I asked Mrs. Fortner what happened today, and she stated that she was having a bad day and that she consumed 2 Smirnoff Ice drinks two hours ago. I asked Mrs. Fortner if she would participate in Standardized Field Sobriety, and she verbally agreed. Before performing Standardized Field Sobriety, Mrs. Fortner advised me that she had a drinking problem and needed help. While attempting to perform Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, Mrs. Fortner would not follow the stimulus with her eyes and eventually verbally refused to perform the Standardized Field Sobriety.

I asked Mrs. Fortner if she would provide a breath sample on PBT, and she verbally refused. I asked Mrs. Fortner to rate herself from 0 to 10, with 0 being completely sober, and she rated herself as a 5. Based on the totality of the circumstances, Mrs. Fortner was placed under arrest for driving under the influence. I read the Georgia Implied Consent Notice at 1521 hours, requesting a blood test. Mrs. Fortner verbally refused by saying “no thank you”. Mrs. Fortner was transported to the Cherokee County Jail by Deputy Hopson.

[WITNESS #1] stated that when she approached the Ford Explorer stopped in the roadway, the driver was passed out and would not respond to her knocking on the window. She stated that she opened the driver’s door and was finally able to get her attention. She stated that the driver seemed to be under the influence.

[End of Narrative]