According to a Georgia State Patrol incident report, On November 6th, 2022, at 5:09 PM Trooper Mefford stopped a 2021 Toyota Corolla after observing the driver speeding at 101 mph on I-75, weaving in and out of traffic. The trooper made contact with the driver, identified as Alex Wayne McAtee, 26, of Dalton. Trooper Mefford reported, “[I] asked him if there was any reason he was speeding. Slow to respond, he quietly stated that he did not mean to. While speaking with him, [I] observed an empty beer can in the passenger floorboard. [I] asked Mr. McAtee how much he had drunk. He hesitated to answer. [I] told him to be honest. He then answered one. [I] then had Mr. McAtee perform the Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST). He only did HGN testing, refusing the other tests. After completing HGN, [I] asked how much he had to drink. He stated only two beers. [I] realized that he was not going to tell me how much he had actually had to drink prior to driving.” McAtee showed a BrAC of .063 on a PBT. McAtee was then placed under arrest for DUI and agreed to the state test. The trooper then located multiple empty beer cans, a full cold beer, and a half-empty cold beer inside his vehicle. McAtee was transported to the Gordon County Jail, charged with driving without a license on person, open container violation, speeding, reckless driving, failure to signal when changing lanes, and DUI. According to arrest records McAtee has a history of DUIs and in November 2021, he became belligerent and attempted to fight employees after having limit cut off at a bar in Dalton.
Dalton man arrested for DUI again after driving reckless at speeds over 100 mph on I-75
