Dalton woman arrested again for DUI after leaving the scene of crash on Walnut Avenue

According to a Dalton Police Department incident report, On May 8th, 2023, at 2:35 PM, Officer Warren responded to the intersection of West Walnut Ave and Walnut Pl in reference to a single vehicle hit-and-run crash. Officer Fraire spoke with the witness/911 caller, who advised what happened. Officer Warren observed that a portion of the guard rail, located in front of 902 West Walnut Avenue, had been significantly dented and bent. On the ground was a part of the offender’s vehicle that the officer recognized as a front bumper diffuser (a plastic component typically located at the bottom of a vehicle’s front bumper and within the front wheel wells). On the diffuser, the officer located a sticker from the vehicle’s manufacturer. The sticker informed the officer that the vehicle was manufactured by general motors, not Ford. Officers also located a destroyed mailbox that belonged to 902 West Walnut Avenue. Officer Fraire located the sticker on the diffuser and acquired the offender vehicle’s VIN, which returned to a black 2012 Cadillac SRX owned by Amanda Gay Shelnutt, 35, of Dalton. Officer Fraire was familiar with Shelnutt from a previous involvement and located the Cadillac at the address. The vehicle had significant body damage to its driver-side, passenger-side, and front-end panels. Officers then made contact with Shelnutt, who appeared to be somewhat drowsy, and her speech was slurred. Officer Warren reported, “[I] asked Shelnutt if she knew that her license was suspended and that she was not supposed to be driving. She stated that she did know this. Based on her poor balance, slurred speech, and the circumstances of her motor vehicle accident, [I] suspected that Shelnutt was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. [I] asked Shelnutt if she had drunk or taken either during the day. She stated that she had not. [I] then asked Shelnutt if she would consent to any field sobriety
Shelnutt refused to participate in any field sobriety testing. Shelnutt was placed under arrest and refused the state test. At the Whitfield County Jail, Shelnutt participated in an alcosensor test for the jail and showed a BAC of .141. Shelnutt was charged with driving on a suspended license, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to maintain lane, and DUI alcohol less safe. According to arrest records, Shelnutt has a history of DUI arrests.