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Name:
Carter, Jaylen Jamal
Date of Booking:
05/15/2026
Reason(s) For Booking:
HEAD/TAIL LIGHT REQUIREMENTS
DUI – MARIJUANA OR CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE
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 Thursday, May 15, 2026 around 2247 hrs. I, Sgt. M. Ivey was monitoring traffic on GA Hwy 15 close to Triple V Cir. At that time, I observed a white in color SUV traveling north on GA Hwy 15, with no headlights on. I positioned my patrol vehicle behind the vehicle, a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee with GA tag [REDACTED], and initiated a traffic stop with my emergency lights. The vehicle came to a final stop near the parking lot of 816 S. Harris St.
I then made contact with the driver, identified as Jaylen Carter, and identified myself as a police officer for the City of Sandersville. I immediately detected the odor of fresh, unburnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. I then notified Carter that I pulled him over for not having his headlights on and advised him to turn them on. Carter attempted to turn the vehicle’s headlight knob on; however, he fumbled with it several times before he could turn the headlights on. Carter appeared to be disoriented. His physical reactions were slow and his speech was slow. Carter’s eyelids were droopy and his eyes were bloodshot, watery, and glazed.
I asked Carter how much marijuana he had smoked prior to driving. Carter stated, “I just got through smoking.” Carter was asked multiple times how much he had to smoke during the interaction and would never directly answer the question. I asked Carter if he had any marijuana in the vehicle. He stated that he did have a little bit and turned over a small sandwich bag with several what appeared to be marijuana buds in it.
I asked Carter if there was anything else illegal in the vehicle. Carter stated that there was not. I instructed Carter to shut the vehicle off and step out of the car. Carter complied. Once out of the vehicle, I asked Carter if he would consent to Field Sobriety Testing. Carter stated, “Yeah. I haven’t drank any alcohol.” I called for another unit to stand by with Carter while his vehicle was searched.
While searching Carter’s vehicle I discovered a second sandwich bag with what appeared to be marijuana buds in the back seat. There were several marijuana “roaches” in the driver side door that had been burnt, indicating the strong possibility that Carter frequently smokes marijuana while operating a vehicle. While searching the vehicle, I also discovered a silver and black in color Taurus G2C 9mm handgun (serial number: AEE445612) under the driver seat that Carter had informed me was in the vehicle. The handgun was inventoried and placed into temporary evidence for safe keeping.
Carter was issued a property slip to retrieve the weapon at a later date. The substance that appeared to be marijuana was confiscated and placed into temporary evidence for destruction. One bag of the substance that appeared to be marijuana was labeled, “THCa Flower Greenhouse White Cherry Gelato Batch 61660-260430 Exp 04/2027 Total THCa 20.76% 7 Gram” and the other labeled, “THCa Greenhouse Smalls Horchata Batch 61247-260501 Exp 05/2027 Total THCa 25.62% 14 Gram.”
After searching the vehicle, I attempted to conduct Standardized Field Sobriety and ARIDE testing on Carter. I attempted to perform Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus testing. I placed Carter with his feet together and hands by his side. I instructed Carter to keep his head straight and still and to follow the tip of my finger with his eyes only. I made several passes with my finger to perform the testing. During the passes, Carter continued to take his eyes off of my fingertip and look at look at me, at times smirking. After several attempts and giving numerous instructions to keep his head still and follow my fingertip, it was clear that Carter would not or could not follow those instructions and the test was ended.
I then placed Carter under arrest for Driving Under the Influence of Drugs. I placed handcuffs on Carter to the rear, checked for fit, and double locked them. Carter was pat searched for any weapons or contraband. None were detected. Carter was then placed in the rear of my patrol car. I then read Implied Consent Warning for Suspects Age 21 or Older and requested a blood test. Carter stated he would comply with the blood test.
Ronnie’s Towing was contacted to tow Carter’s vehicle. An inventory and inventory form were completed by Officer N. Campbell. Officer Campbell stayed on scene with Carter’s vehicle until Ronnie’s Towing could arrive and take possession of the vehicle. I then escorted Carter to Washington County Regional Medical Center Lab for blood testing. The blood draw was performed by Nurse [REDACTED] at 2325 hrs. The blood samples were sealed in a GBI Blood/Alcohol Test Kit and turned over to me. The kit was placed into Temporary Evidence along with an Inventory Form and GBI Evidence Submission Form.
Carter was escorted to Sandersville Police Department for booking and fingerprinting. Carter was issued citations with a court date of June 15, 2026 12:30pm for the following:
DUI Marijuana or Other Controlled Substance O.C.G.A. 40-6-391A6
Lighted Headlights Required O.C.G.A. 40-8-20
Carter’s property was inventoried and placed in a sealed bag (1 black in color iPhone with a brown case and a black in color wristwatch). A DDS 1205S form was completed pending blood test results. Carter was then fingerprinted. Once Carter was booked and fingerprinted, I escorted him to Washington County LEC where he was turned over to the on-duty jail staff along with all property, property inventory, fingerprint card, citations, and arrest report.
I then returned to service.
[End of Narrative]