Dalton woman arrested for DUI child endangerment after 911 call from concerned citizen

According to a Dalton Police Department incident report, On May 27th, 2023, at 2:30 PM, Officer Johnson was dispatched to the 1403 West Walnut Avenue Food City parking lot for a possible intoxicated driver. The caller reported to the officer that she observed the vehicle all over the roadway west on West Walnut Avenue. The caller reported that she thought the black Hyundai SUV might crash and the driver might be highly intoxicated. The caller said when the vehicle pulled into the Food City parking lot, the vehicle started acting more erratic. The caller advised that she observed a female with a juvenile girl exit the black SUV and enter Food City before Dalton officers arrived. Officers then observed the female driver, later identified as Brenda Fay Atkins, 33, of Dalton, and her juvenile daughter. Officer Johnson reported, “[I] observed Atkins stumbling as she was walking in the parking lot. [I] observed Atkins getting into the black Hyundai Santa SUV driver seat tag with keys in her hand. [I] approached the driver’s side and contacted Atkins, and asked her to exit the vehicle and talk with me. Atkins complied and asked what was wrong. [I] could detect a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Atkins’s mouth area. [I] also noticed that Atkins’s eyes were red and glassy. [I] explained to Atkins that [I] was getting out with her because [I] received a call about her possibly being intoxicated and wanted to make sure she was okay. [I] asked Atkins how much she had to drink today, and Atkins stated that she had one drink earlier in the day, and it was only one mixed drink.” During standardized field sobriety tests, Atkins showed several signs of impairment and showed a BAC of .229 on a PBT. Atkins was placed under arrest for DUI and refused the state test. Atkins was transported to the Whitfield County Jail, where she was charged with DUI and DUI endangerment of a child under the age of 14. According to the report, Officer Johnson will be sending the report to DFACS.