CLAYTON, Ga. — Dillard’s top police officer has been charged with DUI and has been suspended after he was stopped by a Georgia trooper who found an open can of Bud Light in the center console of his car, according to the Georgia State Patrol incident report.
Dillard Police Chief Jeremy James Welch, 35, was pulled over on Rickman Street in the city of Clayton on Jan. 25 just after 11 p.m. by a GSP trooper performing a pre-approved driver’s license and safety check at a road block. The officer said he approached Welch’s grey Nissan Titan and saw an open can of Bud Light in the cup holder of the center console.
While speaking with Welch, the officer smelled alcohol on his breath and coming from the car. The officer asked Welch how much he had to drink and the police chief said he had consumed six 12 ounce cans of Bud Light, starting an hour and a half before he was stopped.
The trooper asked medical questions related to a standard field sobriety test and Welch stated that he “knew where this was going” and his speech was slurred, according to the report.
The trooper stated in the report that Welch appeared to be “uncooperative” during the sobriety test, by refusing to participate in an eye test. Welch also refused to take a blood test to determine his blood-alcohol level.
Welch called a friend to pick up his car. The woman he called told police Welch had been drinking with her husband and they offered him a place to stay the night.
Bill Robinson, the mayor of Dillard, said that Welch was leaving a friend's house when he encountered the road block and was arrested while his license was checked.
Welch was arrested and taken to Rabun County Detention Center and has been charged with possession of an open container in a vehicle and driving under the influence. He has been suspended from his duties as mayor as the investigation continues.