According to a Dalton Police Department incident report, On January 5th, 2023, at 9:40 PM, Officer Warren was dispatched to North Hamilton Street and West Tyler Street in reference to a single-vehicle crash versus a tree. Officer Warren reported, “The driver was still in the vehicle, and the airbags were deployed. The vehicle suffered disabling damage. [I] then spoke with a male driver, later identified as Michael James Lamar Pangle, 46, of Tunnel Hill. [I] asked Michael what had happened. He stated that he had “Air disease” and that he sneezed. Michael explained that he sneezed very hard and lost control of his vehicle as a response. He stated that he was unable to recover control and then made an impact with the tree. Michael’s speech was very slurred, and he was having trouble keeping his balance. [I] asked Michael where he was coming from. He told me that he just got done eating at a restaurant. [I] asked Michael if he had anything to drink. He stated that he only had one beer.” During field sobriety tests, Michael showed several signs of impairment, and tests were stopped due to his intoxication level. Michael was placed under arrest for DUI and agreed to the state testing of his breath. Michael was then transported to the Whitfield County Jail, where he showed a BrAC of .178. Michael then proceeded to state, “You asked me how many beers I had but not how big it was.” Michael was charged with DUI and failure to maintain lane.
Tunnel Hill man arrested for DUI after crashing into tree in Dalton
