Jesse Root

Name:
Root, Jesse C

Date of Booking:
05/01/2026

Reason(s) For Booking:
DUI of Drugs

Driving W/Suspended Dr License

No Proof of Insurance

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 May 1, 2025 at approximately 1331 hours, I was dispatched to a private property motor vehicle accident involving a vehicle that had struck a gas pump at 215 MLK Jr Blvd.

Upon arrival, I observed a gray Audi that had collided with a concrete post next to a gas pump. I made contact with the driver, identified as Jesse Root, at the driver side door. Upon opening the door, I observed that Jesse appeared nervous and was visibly shaking. I asked Jesse what had occurred, at which time he appeared disoriented but did admit to backing into the concrete post. When asked why he was acting nervous, Jesse stated it was because he was speaking with law enforcement. I observed the damage to the Audi to be minor and the post that was struck to be only slightly bent.

During my interaction, Jesse provided inconsistent and confusing statements. He stated he was attempting to travel to Saint Lawrence Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia; however, he also stated he did not know where he was coming from. Additionally, he made multiple statements indicating he was attempting to go to his brother’s residence, later identifying his brother as “[REDACTED],” and stated he was currently staying with him. Jesse’s responses to questions were consistently short, lacking detail, and often non-informative. Contact was attempted with the “[REDACTED]” subject to gain more information about Jesse, but I was unsuccessful.

During the interaction, Jesse stated that he had active warrants and that his driver’s license was suspended. It was later confirmed that Jesse did not have any active warrants; however, his driver’s license was in fact suspended, and he had a prior arrest for that offense.

I asked Jesse to step out of the vehicle and had him stand near my patrol vehicle. While standing there, Jesse leaned back to the point of almost laying on the hood of my patrol vehicle in a manner that appeared unusual and inconsistent with a normal resting posture. I asked Jesse several basic orientation questions. He correctly identified the current president as Donald Trump; however, he incorrectly stated the day of the week as Tuesday when it was in fact Friday, and he was unable to provide the correct date.

Based on my training and experience, Jesse displayed signs consistent with impairment. I did not detect any odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath or person, and I did not observe any alcoholic beverages or containers in plain view within the vehicle. I attempted to check Jesse’s eyes for signs of nystagmus; however, he was unable to properly follow my finger with his eyes and repeatedly moved his head instead. I also noted that his pupils were constricted and his eyes appeared to be slightly twitching.

Due to my observations, I requested Sgt. Rutledge respond to assist. Upon arrival, Sgt. Rutledge conducted ARIDE evaluations. During the lack of convergence test, Jesse was unable to properly track Sgt. Rutledge’s stimulus and was unable to adequately participate in the evaluation.

Based on the totality of the circumstances, including the traffic accident, Jesse’s disorientation, inconsistent statements, physical indicators, and performance during attempted evaluations, it was determined that Jesse was under the influence of possible drugs to the extent that it was less safe for him to operate a motor vehicle. He was placed under arrest for DUI (Drugs), Driving While License Suspended, and No Insurance.

Following the arrest, a search of the vehicle was conducted. During the search, multiple pill bottles were located throughout the vehicle. Using pill identifier via my MOT, several of the pills were identified as Adderall, along with other medication consistent with erectile dysfunction treatment. The prescription labels were faded and appeared old; however, the prescriptions were issued to Jesse, as his name was present on the labels. Photographs of the pill bottles were taken and will be attached to this report.

The vehicle was turned over to Taylor’s Wrecker Service and I also provided the owner of the Valero, [REDACTED], with a case number for the incident. I read Georgia Implied Consent to Jesse, and he agreed to submit to a chemical test of his blood. I transported to him to Piedmont Walton Hospital, where a blood draw was conducted.

Following the blood draw, I transported him to the Walton County Jail; however, upon arrival, the medical staff refused to accept Jesse due to his elevated heart rate. I then transported him back to Piedmont Walton Hospital, where he was evaluated and treated. After being medically cleared, I transported him back to the Walton County Jail, where he was accepted and turned over to jail staff without further incident.

I then returned to service. The GBI Blood test kit was placed into evidence at Monroe PD.

[End of Narrative]