According to a Walker County Sheriff’s Office incident report, On May 28th, 2023, at 3:29 AM, Deputy Haven was dispatched to the area of North Highway 27 and Highway 95 for a BOLO vehicle from Chickamauga Police Officer Vandyke. Officer Vandyke stated that the driver was driving approximately 44 mph in a 55 mph zone and failing to maintain his lane driving all over the roadway. Deputy Haven located the red 2015 Volkswagen GTI and observed the driver (Uriel Hernandez Baltazar, 25, of Calhoun) make a wide left turn onto Highway 27 from the Mapco. Deputy Haven observed the vehicle driving from 25 mph-40 mph and failing to maintain the lane multiple times on Highway 27. During the traffic stop, Baltazar stated that his English was not that good. Deputy Haven reported, “[I] could smell the strong odor of cologne that had recently been applied. [I] then asked him for his driver’s license and proof of insurance. He then grabbed his wallet and gave me his license. [I] then stated, “so your English is bad, but you can understand it pretty good?” and he stated, “I think so”. Baltazar was slightly slurring his speech and had glossy eyes. [I] asked him how much alcohol he had consumed today and he stated that he only had three beers. When Baltazar got out of the vehicle, [I] could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage, mixed with cologne, coming from him. [I] had Baltazar step to the rear of the vehicle. When he did, Baltazar leaned against the back of the vehicle to keep his balance. Baltazar also had his pants unzipped and had a fresh stamp from a nightclub on his hand.” During field sobriety tests, Baltazar showed several signs of impairment and a BAC of .124 on a PBT. Baltazar was placed in custody for DUI. While conducting an inventory of the vehicle, the deputy noticed that Baltazar still had a 40-minute drive to get to his residence in Calhoun and that Baltazar had turned off Highway 27 in an attempt to get the officers to quit following him. Baltazar was booked into the Walker County Jail, charged with DUI and failing to maintain lane.
Calhoun man arrested for DUI after driving slow all over Highway 27 in Walker County
