James Wilkes

Name:
Wilkes, James Doyle

Date of Booking:
04/22/2023

Reason(s) For Booking:
driving under the influence

failure to maintain lane

no registration

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 April 21, 2023 at approximately 2144 hours I, Deputy Aaron Pruitt, arrived at Highway 125 and Smith Dairy Road in regards to a suspicious person. Upon arrival I made contact with James Wilkes who was driving a white Chevrolet Silverado with the license plate [REDACTED BY AGENCY]. I asked Mr. Wilkes if he was okay and he stated yes. I then informed him the reason I stopped was because there were several calls about a suspicious person yelling at cars and trying to flag them down. Mr. Wilkes stated that he didn’t yell at any cars going by.

I then asked Mr. Wilkes if he had consumed any alcohol and he stated no. I then asked Mr. Wilkes got out of the vehicle and asked him to step to the back of his truck. Upon him stepping out of the vehicle I was observing how Mr. Wilkes walked and how he spoke. I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. His speech did sound slurred. I proceeded to ask him again if he’s been drinking and he said no.

After a few minutes passed, Sheriff Nick Norton stopped and assisted me on the call. Sheriff Norton asked Mr. Wilkes the same questions and he stated no about consuming alcohol. Sheriff Norton then informed me to let him go. I informed Mr. Wilkes that he was free to go and to return home safely.

Sheriff Norton then asked me to go to the Tri County store to talk to me. After stopping at the store, a guy ran over to the store and stated that a white pick-up truck swerved and almost ran him over. Sheriff Norton then told me to inform the city to pull the truck over if they spotted it. A few moments later Deputy Stephen Terrell spotted the vehicle and proceeded to pull him over at Highway 122 by mile marker 5.

Upon arrival, I walked up to the truck and asked Mr. Wilkes stepped out of the vehicle and stood behind his truck. I then informed Mr. Wilkes why he was stopped. He was stopped over for failure to maintain a lane. I then asked Mr. Wilkes again if he’s been drinking and he stated no. I then detained Mr. Wilkes asked to search his vehicle and he stated that I could search the vehicle. Upon searching the vehicle, I didn’t find any open containers. I then walked back to Mr. Wilkes and informed him that I did smell alcohol on his breath. Mr. Wilkes then admitted to having a drink at a friend’s house.

I then informed dispatch to get Georgia State Patrol enroute for a possible DUI and request a wrecker as well. GSP and Clinch Brakes arrived on scene. Trooper Nick Morris did a field test and concluded that Mr. Wilkes was under the influence of alcohol. Trooper Morris arrested Mr. Wilkes with Driving under the influence of alcohol and transported him to the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office to do a breath test. After arriving to the Sheriff’s Office, Trooper Morris conducted a breath test and Mr. Wilkes blew a .138. Mr. Wilkes was booked and a bond was set. He did not post bond and was transported to Coffee County Jail.

[End of Narrative]