Jonathan Hamlin

Name:
Hamlin, Jonathan Michael

Date of Booking:
12/16/2021

Reason(s) For Booking:
DUI/Alcohol/Less Safe

Consuming Alcoholic Beverage or Possessing Open Alcoholic Beverage Container While in Passenger Area of Motor Vehicle

Operating Motor Vehicle Approaching Emergency Vehicle

Speeding

Speeding – 2 Counts

Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the officer’s narrative report. We do not fix any spelling or grammatical errors. Any changes made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist.]

BACKGROUND:

On December 16, 2021, I, Deputy Chad Cuskey, was employed by the Houston County Sheriff’s Office and assigned to the Traffic Division. I was in a marked patrol unit, in my Houston County Sheriff’s Office uniform and had my badge displayed.

FIRST OBSERVATIONS:

At approximately 1931 hours, I was traveling east on Highway 96 when I observed a vehicle traveling west at a high rate of speed. I activated my patrol vehicle’s RADAR unit (serial number DD02146) and it showed a target speed of 110 miles per hour in a posted 55 miles per hour zone. I used my in-car radio and informed the other Traffic Deputies that I was attempting to catch up to a white convertible Camaro which was traveling at over 100 miles per hour. I turned my patrol vehicle around and was approaching the Houston Lake Road intersection when Deputy Labny said he saw the Camaro turn north onto Houston Lake Road. I then turned north onto Houston Lake Road when I regained the visual of the Camaro and confirmed it was the same vehicle. I attempted to close the distance between my vehicle and the Camaro, and I noticed it was again traveling at a high rate of speed. I reactivated my RADAR unit same direction, and it showed a target speed of 79 miles per hour in the posted 45 miles per hour zone.

OBSERVATIONS AFTER STOP:

I activated my emergency equipment (lights and siren) and initiated a traffic stop on the Camaro. The driver/offender, Jonathan Hamlin, continued north on Houston Lake Road, then turned right (west) on Ashford Park. Hamlin failed to yield for my lights and siren and continued east at a slow rate of speed. Hamlin then briefly stopped in front of a residence, and I exited my patrol vehicle. I ordered Hamlin to turn off the Camaro and put his hands out the driver’s window. Hamlin put his hands out the driver’s window but did not turn off the Camaro. I ordered him to turn the Camaro off several more times before he put his right hand back inside the vehicle and started to pull forward again.

I radioed that I was conducting a felony stop due to my belief he was going to flee from the stop. I un-holstered my firearm and ordered Hamlin to stop. Hamlin stopped the Camaro and put his hands back outside the driver’s window, then I waited for backup.

Deputy Gilbert, Deputy Mixon, and Deputy Labny arrived on the scene.

Deputy Labny started to give Hamlin verbal commands on how to exit the Camaro. Hamlin did not listen to Labny’s commands, exited the Camaro with his hands up, walked to the back of his vehicle, and put his hands on the trunk. Hamlin then went to his knees and placed his hands out in front of him. A moment passed then Hamlin laid on his stomach and put his hands out to his sides. Deputy Labny provided cover while Deputy Gilbert handcuffed Hamlin behind his back. Deputy Gilbert checked the handcuffs for fit and double locked them.

When Hamlin exited the Camaro, he seemed to be impaired. Hamlin was stumbling, could not keep his balance, and was not listening to verbal commands. It is my experience that impaired people display the same behavior.

I assisted the other deputies with getting Hamlin to his feet and walked with them to the front of my patrol vehicle. Hamlin was barely able to keep his balance while Deputy Labny searched his person. At one point during the search, Deputy Labny had leaned Hamlin onto the hood of my vehicle to keep him stable and to make him stop resting. After Labny finished his search, I placed Hamlin in the back of my patrol vehicle and read “Miranda Warning” and Implied Consent for Persons Over 21, but he refused both.

Due to Hamlin’s refusal, he was taken out of my patrol vehicle and placed into Deputy Mixon’s. Hamlin started to resist again while being moved from one vehicle to another vehicle and had to have leg irons put on him. Deputy Mixon and Deputy Gilbert transported Hamlin to the Houston County Detention Center.

I contacted the on-call Magistrate Judge Campbell and left the scene to contact her for a warrant for Hamlin’s blood. Judge Campbell signed a search warrant, and I went to the jail to serve the warrant. Nurse [REDACTED] was at the jail and completed the blood draw on Hamlin after I served the warrant.

VEHICLE SEARCH:

Corporal Dixson arrived and stayed with Deputy Labny on the scene. They searched the Camaro and found cold to the touch open container of Smirnoff Ice which contained an orange liquid substance under the front right passenger seat. There were four unopened Smirnoff Ice of the same type on the front right passenger seat. They also found small two un-opened Crown Royal bottles in the glove box. $1,170.00 in cash was located on the front right floorboard. Cpl. Dixson and Deputy Labny counted the money together and secured it in Camaro before the on-call wrecker arrived on scene.

CONCLUSION:

Hamlin was arrested for speeding, failing to yield to my emergency equipment, driving while intoxicated (less safe), and for the open container. The unopened alcohol containers and the money were left in the vehicle after being photographed. The Camaro was removed from the scene by Warner Robins Wrecker Service.

VIDEO / PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE:

This traffic stop was recorded by the in-car camera in unit 828.