According to a Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office incident report, On March 14th, 2023, at around 8:29 PM, Deputy Sharpe was traveling northbound on the South Bypass when he observed a 2011 gray Honda accord swerving all over the roadway. Deputy Sharpe also could not see the tag and believed that the tag light was out. Deputy Sharpe conducted a traffic stop on Riverbend Road and made contact with the driver Randi Mercado Rodriguez, 40, of Dalton, and explained the reason for the traffic stop. According to the report, Deputy Sharpe could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage and marijuana omitted from the vehicle. Deputy Sharpe asked Mr. Mercado Rodriguez if he had anything to drink. At first, Mr. Mercado Rodriguez stated he had been at work, and just gotten gas, and was going home. When asked how long Mr. Mercado Rodriguez had been up Mr. Mercado Rodriguez stated he had been at work earlier but had gone home and that he was just now coming from a gas station. Mr. Mercado Rodriguez stated that he had consumed an alcoholic beverage earlier today. Deputy Sharpe observed Mr. Mercado Rodriguez’s eyes to be droopy.” During the field sobriety test, Mercado Rodriguez showed several signs of impairment and showed to have a positive amount of alcohol on the PBT. Deputy Sharpe asked Mercado Rodriguez to submit to the state-administered chemical test of his blood and breath. Mercado Rodriguez asked if he refused the test and if he was free to go. Deputy Sharpe told him no. Mercado Rodriguez was transported to the Whitfield County Jail and charged with DUI.
Dalton man arrested for DUI after swerving all over the roadway in Whitfield County
