Scott Reese

Name:
Reese, Scott David

Date of Booking:
05/05/2026

Reason(s) For Booking:
DUI – DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL – CONCENTRATION IS 0.08G OR MORE WITHIN 3 HRS OR MORE

TAG LIGHT REQUIRED

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 5, 2026, at approximately 9:11 p.m., I, Officer John Adams, was patrolling the area of North Harris Street and Sparta Road when I observed a white Ford pickup truck driving on the roadway. I was traveling northbound on Sparta Road, and the Ford pickup truck was southbound, approaching my direction. When the vehicle passed me, I looked in my rearview mirror and did not observe any light illuminating the registration tag and the registration tag was not visible. This observation was made immediately after the vehicle passed me, with the vehicle being within 50 feet from me.

According to O.C.G.A. 40-8-23 (D), every motor vehicle shall be equipped with a light that illuminates the registration plate with white light so as to render the registration plate clearly visible at a distance of 50 feet from the rear. Based on my observation, I was within 50 feet of the vehicle and did not observe any white light illuminating the tag, and the tag was not visible. Based on my observations, this vehicle was in violation of the previously mentioned code section for a tag light violation.

I performed a U-turn and positioned my patrol vehicle behind the Ford pickup truck. The tag was still not legible until I was close to the rear of the vehicle so that my headlights illuminated the tag. The tag was then identified as [REDACTED], a 2013 white Ford Lgt Conventional. The vehicle came to a stop on the shoulder of the road on North Harris Street, close to the intersection with McCarty Street.

When I approached the driver’s side window, the driver had the window down and was holding a driver’s license out. I observed a female on the driver’s license, with the driver being a male. The driver advised, “Oh, that’s my wife’s.” The driver then put the license down and handed me another license. I immediately noticed a strong odor of alcoholic beverage upon reaching the driver’s side window, and Mr. Reese was talking with slurred speech.

I advised the driver, now identified as Mr. Scott Reese, that the reason for the traffic stop was due to him not having a tag light to illuminate the registration plate. Mr. Reese stated, “I know I got a taillight out.” I reaffirmed to Mr. Reese the reason for the stop was due to his tag light being out. I asked Mr. Reese if he had registration information. Mr. Reese responded, “What do you need?” I requested Mr. Reese’s registration information a second time, and Mr. Reese stated, “I don’t have it.” I returned to my vehicle to run Mr. Reese’s license through NCIC.

Based on my previous observations, which include the odor of alcoholic beverage and slurred speech present while speaking with Mr. Reese and Mr. Reese experiencing disorientation by handing out someone else’s license and asking me what I needed immediately after I advised him what it was that I needed, I asked Mr. Reese to step out of the vehicle for further questioning regarding possible DUI impairment. While walking to the rear of Mr. Reese’s vehicle, Mr. Reese’s walk was slow and unsteady. While standing at the rear of Mr. Reese’s vehicle, Mr. Reese was resting his arm on the rear of his vehicle.

I asked Mr. Reese how much alcoholic beverage he consumed tonight, and Mr. Reese advised, “Three beers. At Marcellas.” The date of the incident is the 5th of May, which is the Cinco de Mayo holiday, during which the nearby Mexican restaurant Marcella’s was offering specials on alcoholic beverages at a discounted price during the holiday. This aligns with the direction of travel that Mr. Reese was coming from, as he was traveling southbound on Sparta Road, coming from the direction of Marcella’s. I asked Mr. Reese how much he was feeling the effects of alcohol on a scale between one and ten, and Mr. Reese stated, “Six.”

I asked Mr. Reese if he would perform field sobriety testing, and Mr. Reese declined to perform, stating, “I’ve got too many issues with my back and my knees.” I asked Mr. Reese if he had any medical issues with his eyes, and Mr. Reese advised, “I’ve got bad balance; I’m not doing that.” I asked Mr. Reese if he would blow into a handheld PBT (preliminary breathalyzer test), and Mr. Reese stated that he would not. Mr. Reese advised me, “I just left the Mexican restaurant after drinking three beers, so it’s probably going to be through the roof.” Mr. Reese would later state that the beers were the “tall glasses.”

I made the decision to arrest Mr. Reese for O.G.C.A. 40-6-391 (A)(5 ) D.U.I – Alcohol .08 gm or more, based on the following facts and circumstances:

• Strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from Mr. Reese’s breath and person during the entire encounter
• Admission to recently consuming alcoholic beverages
• Disorientation
• Slurred speech
• Refusal to submit to SFST
• Refusal to submit to a preliminary breath test (stating, “It’s probably going to be through the roof”)

I placed double-locked handcuffs on Mr. Reese’s wrists, with his arms behind his back. I performed a search of Mr. Reese’s waistband and inner pockets, turning them inside out for any weapons or contraband. A small Derringer pistol and a foldable pocket knife were found in Mr. Reese’s pockets. The items were left with Mr. Reese’s wife, who was the passenger in the vehicle he was driving. The other articles found in Mr. Reese’s pockets, which were his wallet and keys, were turned over to his wife by his request.

I escorted Mr. Reese to the rear passenger seat of my patrol vehicle. I read Mr. Reese Implied Consent, requesting his blood. Mr. Reese submitted to the blood draw. I placed the lap and shoulder restraint around Mr. Reese’s waist and torso. I transported Mr. Reese to the Washington County Regional Medical Center while another officer waited on scene for a licensed driver to drive Mr. Reese’s vehicle off scene (Mr. Reese stated that the passenger, his wife, was intoxicated and should not drive).

At the WCRMC, Mr. Reese’s blood was drawn by qualified personnel, Ms. [REDACTED]. Two sealed vials of blood were collected in a GBI blood/alcohol toxicology kit and later placed into the evidence fridge at the Sandersville Police Department. I transported Mr. Reese to the SPD to collect copies of his fingerprints. I collected two copies, one to turn in to the Sheriff’s Office and one for the case file. Mr. Reese signed both copies. I wrote Mr. Reese two citations:

• Citation 117A00239 for O.C.G.A. 40-6-391 (A)(5) D.U.I. Alcohol .08 gm or more
• Citation 117A00240 for O.C.G.A. 40-8-23(D) Tag Light Required

Mr. Reese signed both copies of the citations and was given his copies, with a temporary driving permit sticker placed on the lower portion of his copy of citation 117A00239 to be used as a temporary driving permit until the court date, which was set for June 15, 2026, at 12:30 p.m., at the City of Sandersville Municipal Courtroom. Mr. Reese’s license was kept and filed with a DDS 1205 S form and left in the admin dropbox at the SPD.

I transported Mr. Reese to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, where custody of Mr. Reese was released to the Sheriff’s Office. I picked up a driver’s history from the S/O dispatch to file with the police report.

[End of Narrative]