ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office once again received a grant to help combat aggressive and impaired drivers, after it was briefly denied a few days ago.
Back in December, the Governor's Office of Highway Safety halted the Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant for the agency after a deputy was taken into custody, accused of driving drunk, according to a GOHS spokesperson.
According to a release from the sheriff's office, Sheriff Eric Levett reviewed the statement from the governor's office and "found the references to be unsustainable."
The release added that the sheriff's office's DUI performance "met the performance goal and exceeded the milestone performance goal set forth by the governor's office."
Sheriff Levett added in the released Wednesday that he was "dismayed" by the original decision being related to the DUI for an "off-duty deputy, who was terminated shortly after the incident."
A Georgia State Patrol incident report alleges the deputy tried to take off when a Georgia State trooper attempted to pull him over after he was clocked driving at 130 mph on I-20 West in Atlanta last month. According to the report, there were three others in the car with him – two of which are also deputies with the sheriff's office and were also under the influence of alcohol.
RCSO was one of 17 law enforcement partners selected for the HEAT grant. Records show RCSO will receive $132,082.24 to help the state reduce the number of impaired driving crashes.