According to a Georgia State Patrol incident report, On May 19th, 2023, at 8:14 PM, Corporal Flowers was patrolling on GA-114 northbound near Pine Hill Drive in Chattooga County. Corporal Flowers noticed a Volkswagen Jetta in front of him driving all over the roadway failing to maintain lane. The trooper then conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver Derek Lamar Hunter, 36, of Summerville. Corporal Flowers reported, “As [I] approached the driver side window, [I] noticed a young child in his child safety seat in the back seat. While speaking to Mr. Hunter, [I] noticed a strong odor of burnt marijuana and an alcoholic beverage coming from within the vehicle. [I] noticed Mr. Hunter’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, and he seemed to be extremely nervous. [I] asked Mr. Hunter to exit the vehicle and stand in front of my patrol car. [I] asked him if he had anything to drink today, and he stated no. Other indicators were eyelid tremors, and his tongue was discolored with raised taste buds. Mr. Hunter gave me a breath sample on the PBT, which indicated positive for an alcoholic beverage (.03). At this time, [I] noticed Mr. Hunter was looking around, getting more nervous, and looking at my sidearm three times. Not sure what he was thinking, what he might have in his vehicle, and for my safety, [I] placed him in the back seat of my patrol car to figure out what was going on. During the search of the vehicle, [I] recovered two small hand-rolled marijuana cigarettes, several empty open containers that had marijuana residue inside, and an open bottle of Jose Cuervo Tequila 375ml.” During field sobriety testing, Hunter showed several signs of impairment. The trooper arrested Hunter and read him the Georgia implied consent notice for suspects 21 years of age or older. He stated he understood and would refuse to give a sample of his blood. Hunter’s mother arrived on the scene and took custody of his 19-month-old son and the vehicle. Hunter was booked into the Chattooga County Jail, charged with DUI, DUI child endangerment, open container violation, and failing to maintain lane.
Summerville man arrested for DUI child endangerment after driving all over Hwy 114 with toddler son
