Michael Goerling

Name:
Goerling, Michael Alan

Date of Booking:
01/30/2022

Reason(s) For Booking:
OBEY TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE

OBEY TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE

FAILURE TO MAINTAIN LANE

POSSESSION OF OPEN ALCOHOL CONTAINER

DUI – DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL

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.]

On Sunday, January 30, 2022 at approximately 0200 hrs, I was patrolling the area of Ga Hwy 196 E (Leroy Coffer Hwy) near Willie Dixon Rd, driving west towards Ga Hwy 38. I observed a vehicle make a right turn out of the Silver Dollar Lounge ([400 BLOCK] Leroy Coffer Hwy Midway, Ga 31320) and approach the stop sign at the intersection of Leroy Coffer Hwy Bypass and Leroy Coffer Hwy. The driver of the vehicle failed to fully stop at the stop sign before completing another right turn onto Ga Hwy 196 E/Leroy Coffer Hwy and entered the “slow lane” (right lane) of travel towards Ga Hwy 38.

After I observed this traffic violation, I began to catch up to the vehicle to observe its actions. I saw the vehicle was a small, dark colored SUV, but could not see the make/model or registration. The vehicle approached the intersection of Ga Hwy 196 E/Leroy Coffer Hwy and Ga Hwy 38. All of the traffic signal lights were red, to include the right turn lights. There is a sign posted next to the traffic signals that states a right turn is permitted on “red” after stopping. This means a driver can make a right turn even though the right turn light is red after clearing the intersection to safely enter the traffic on Ga Hwy 38. The vehicle entered the “slow lane” of travel on Ga Hwy 38 headed west towards Hinesville. I followed the vehicle, but entered the “fast lane” (left lane) of travel. I continued to observe the vehicle, following behind it approximately two car lengths back. The vehicle began to weave within its lane of travel, with the passenger tires making contact with the fog line and then back towards the center, white, dashed lines. The vehicle also made contact with the center, white, dashed lines with its driver side tires. I rolled down my windows to hear if the vehicle made contact with the road way reflectors, which I could. I observed this driving behavior several times before I positioned my patrol vehicle behind the suspect’s vehicle.

I activated my patrol car’s blue lights and sirens as we approached the Liberty County High School (3216 E Oglethorpe Hwy) and radioed Central with my intentions of a traffic stop. At this time, I observed the vehicle was bearing a Georgia tag of [REDACTED] and it was a small Chevrolet SUV. The vehicle’s hazard lights turned on, but continued to drive towards Hinesville. The vehicle came to a stop east of OC Martin Drive and I radioed to Central the final stop location.

I approached the vehicle on the passenger’s side and observed a single male occupant. I introduced myself and asked the driver where he was coming from and where he was going. With slurred speech, he advised he was heading home from work. While speaking with him, I observed uncoordinated movements by the driver. I asked the driver once more where he was coming from and he advised, “from a friend’s house.” I requested the driver to present his driver’s license to me. When the driver was reaching for his wallet, his movements were slow and uncoordinated. I asked the driver to step out of his vehicle and he said, “Ummm… I’mma press park.” and I told him, “Please.”

As the driver exited his vehicle, I advised him to walk to the front of my patrol vehicle and shined my flashlight in that direction. The driver appeared to be unsteady on his feet and swaying while he walked. As he presented his driver’s license, I asked what friend’s house he was coming from and he said, “I don’t answer questions.” I identified the driver as Michael Goerling Jr. of Alma, Ga from his Georgia driver’s license. I asked Mr. Goerling Jr. if he was coming from work or from a friend’s house and he said, “Both.” I asked, “So, you work at your friend’s house?” To which he replied, “Yes.” While speaking to Mr. Goerling Jr., I observed that his eyes were glassy. Due to his short replies to my answers, I could not observe any more slurring. At this time, Lt. Brown arrived on scene to assist.

After I confirmed the address on Mr. Goerling Jr.’s driver’s license was the correct address, I advised him of the traffic violations he committed which caused me to pull him over. I advised him I observed him fail to stop for the stop sign at Ga Hwy 196 E Bypass and Ga Hwy 196 E, then I saw him fail to stop for the red light at Ga 196 E and Ga 38, and finally I observed him failing to maintain his lane of travel. I requested for Lt. Brown to administer Standard Field Sobriety Testing on Mr. Goerling Jr. to evaluate if he was operating the vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Due to how Mr. Goerling Jr. was acting, I suspected he was driving under the influence of alcohol.

When Lt. Brown first began SFSTs, Mr. Goerling Jr. swayed to his right and lost his balance. Lt. Brown repositioned Mr. Goerling Jr. on the side of the roadway, instead of on the grass shoulder. While Lt. Brown was evaluating Mr. Goerling Jr., I heard him say to Mr. Goerling Jr. he could smell an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath and asked how much he had to drink. Mr. Goerling Jr. said he went to that “stupid strip club” and had two shots. See Lt. Brown’s supplement on his evaluations.

After Lt. Brown completed his evaluations, he asked Mr. Goerling Jr. if he would submit a breath sample on a “PBT” (preliminary breath test) and he agreed after stating it would “light that b*tch up like a f*cking Christmas tree” because he took a “shot of liquor a minute ago.” I returned to my patrol vehicle and retrieved my agency issued Intoximeter with a new straw, in the wrapper. After he submitted the breath sample, the machine returned with a positive indication of alcohol on his breath. The machine finalized with a reading of .217 grams.

I told Mr. Goerling Jr. he was being placed under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol. I placed Mr. Goerling Jr. in handcuffs, behind his back, which were double-locked and checked for fit. Lt. Brown searched Mr. Goerling Jr. incident to arrest with no contraband or weapons found. Lt. Brown requested for the next towing company off the list to be dispatched for retrieval of Mr. Goerling Jr.’s vehicle. I read Mr. Goerling Jr. the Georgia Implied Consent Notice for Driver’s Over the Age of 21 from Lt. Brown’s green card. I requested for Mr. Goerling Jr. to submit a sample of his blood to which he said, “No.”

Lt. Brown placed Mr. Goerling Jr. in the rear seat of his patrol vehicle and he was transported to the Liberty County Jail. I performed an inventory of Mr. Goerling Jr.’s vehicle where I discovered a brown paper bag. Inside the bag, I found two Heineken brand beer 16 oz cans. One of the cans were unopened and the other was open and empty. In the cup holder of the center console, I located a styrofoam cup with a lid and straw. Inside the cup was a brown liquid with foam which appeared to be beer. I smelled the liquid and confirmed it was beer. I poured the substance out onto the side of the road and returned the cup to the vehicle. Hinesville Towing arrived on scene and took possession of the vehicle without incident.

Lt. Brown advised the back seat of his patrol vehicle was checked before and after transport of Mr. Goerling Jr., with no contraband found. I went to the jail to issue citations to Mr. Goerling Jr. He was cited for O.C.G.A. violations of: 2 counts of Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device (40-6-20), Failure to Maintain Lane (40-6-48), Possession of an Open Alcohol Container (40-6-253) and Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol – 1st Offense (40-6-391-1). The citation numbers were 959000289- 959000293. The citations were turned over to booking staff for entry. Mr. Goerling Jr. was also served with a DDS 1205 form and he surrendered his Georgia driver’s license to me.