Joseph Hobbs

Name:
Hobbs, Joseph

Date of Booking:
01/07/2026

Reason(s) For Booking:
HIT AND RUN; DUTY OF DRIVER TO STOP AT OR RETURN TO SCENE OF ACCIDENT

IMPROPER PASSING

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 1/7/2026, at approximately 1551, I, Dep. Glenn responded to Golden Pantry at 5171 Macon Hwy regarding a hit-and-run. The complainant told me that the collision happened while traveling southbound on Hwy 441, where the roadway merges from 4 lanes into 2.

The complainant told me that initially she had been in the right lane of travel, and the other vehicle, a white Toyota Corolla, was in the left lane of travel. The complainant told me that she made a lane change to drive into the left lane of travel, and the Corolla was 2 vehicles behind her afterwards. As the complainant continued southbound, she told me that the driver of the Corolla began driving on the grass divider, first passing the vehicle between them, and then trying to pass her vehicle.

As the driver of the Corolla began passing the complainant’s vehicle, the right side of the Corolla sideswiped the left side of the complainant’s vehicle. Immediately after the collision occurred, the complainant told me that she began flashing her lights at the driver of the Corolla in an attempt to get them to pull over. The driver of the Corolla continued driving southbound, leaving the scene of the crash without attempting to exchange required information.

The complainant was able to provide a license plate for the Corolla, as well as a picture of it. I took pictures of the complainant’s vehicle, and attached them to this report. Dispatch advised that the registered owner of the Corolla lived on Mayne Mill Rd, so I went to the address to get a statement from the other driver.

Upon my arrival, I spoke to Joseph Hobbs, who identified himself as the driver of the Corolla. His statement conflicted with the complainant’s. Mr. Hobbs told me that he was in the left lane of travel, and saw the complainant attempting a lane change in front of him. Mr. Hobbs said he felt like the complainant was trying to run him off the road, but he kept driving forward. He told me that while in his lane of travel, his vehicle was sideswiped by the complainant’s.

I asked Mr. Hobbs if he felt the impact of the collision, and he said yes. I asked why he left the scene of the crash, and he told me that he was waiting for the complainant to flash their lights at him to alert him to pull over. Mr. Hobbs said he didn’t see any of this from the complainant, so he continued driving forward. He said that he saw the complainant pull into the Golden Pantry parking lot, but kept driving.

I looked at the damage on both vehicles, and the grass divider where the crash occurred. There were tire tracks consistent with the complainant’s statement. I placed Mr. Hobbs under arrest for hit-and-run. He was taken to the jail, and turned over without incident. He was charged with hit-and-run and improper passing.

[End of Narrative]