Dalton man arrested for DUI after crashing into power pole and then flipping vehicle on Walnut Avenue

ccording to a Dalton Police Department incident report, On May 10th, 2023, at 12:51 AM, Officer Shope was dispatched to the intersection of West Walnut Avenue and South Thornton Avenue in reference to a single-vehicle crash. While en route, dispatch advised that the vehicle had flipped but was now sitting right side up. Officer Shope reported, “When [I] arrived, [I] witnessed the vehicle in the intersection with extensive damage. The witness flagged me down and pointed toward a male that was in a nearby parking lot. She told me that he was the driver of the vehicle and was trying to leave the scene. [I] witnessed the male wearing a blue shirt go behind the rent-a-wheel business, and [I] quickly followed. [I] was able to catch up to the male, and when [I] told him to stop and sit on the ground, he complied.” The driver, Brandon Michael Leblanc, 24, Dalton, was detained for further investigation. Officer Shope could immediately detect a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, and his eyes were red and glassy. Brandon kept saying that someone had hit him, and he wanted to know why they did that. The witness said that the vehicle was traveling eastbound on West Walnut Avenue, swerved off the roadway, hit a power pole, and then flipped. The power pole just west of the intersection was completely broken in two and was only partially being held up by power lines. Dalton Utilities was called to the scene to assess the damage. During a search of the vehicle, officers saw two small empty bottles of Goldschlager and one full bottle. Brandon was placed under arrest for DUI and refused all testing. Brandon was transported to the Whitfield County Jail and charged with DUI – less safe and failure to maintain lane.

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