‘Making Out’ Blamed for Erratic Driving

Despite his girlfriend’s protestations that “making out” was to blame for the erratic driving witnessed by a Gwinnett County police officer, a Lawrenceville man still found himself under arrest for DUI after a traffic stop near Fort Daniel Elementary School in Dacula.

Just before midnight on Feb. 19, an officer noticed a silver Ford pickup weaving in and out of its lane of travel. As the officer followed, the truck suddenly stopped in the intersection of Auburn Road and Fort Daniels Drive and blocked both lanes of travel. The vehicle began moving again and the officer initiated a traffic stop.

The driver of the vehicle, Brett Arnett of 1871 Woodpint Court in Lawrenceville, was unable to explain to the officer why he had been driving erratically. Arnett’s girlfriend, however, informed the officer “that they were making out while driving.”

The officer noticed a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on Arnett’s person and asked him how much alcohol he had consumed. Arnett admitted having “three to four beers” approximately an hour prior to the traffic stop.

Arnett refused to submit to field sobriety tests and refused to give a breath sample for the Alco sensor. Due to the Arnett’s driving, his unsteady gait when exiting the vehicle and the odor of alcoholic beverage on his person, the officer determined Arnett was driving under the influence of alcohol and placed him under arrest.

During a search of Arnett’s pockets, the officer found a receipt indicating a $129 purchase from a local bar prior to the traffic stop.

Before taking Arnett to jail, the officer checked the registration on Arnett’s vehicle and learned the vehicle was not insured. The vehicle was impounded and Arnett was cited for no insurance in addition to charges of DUI and failure to maintain lane. Arnett was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on Feb. 20 and released later that day on a $1,858 bond.

Other recent incidents investigated by the Gwinnett County Police Department include: 

Feb. 13

• Simple assault in the 200 block of Hebron Church Road.
• Financial transaction card fraud in the 3000 block of Laurel Song Way.
• Motor vehicle theft in the 600 block of Country Grove Lane.
• First-degree forgery in the 800 block of Auburn Road.

Feb. 14

• Identity fraud in the 2100 block of Bakers Mill Road.

Feb. 16

• Battery in the 4600 block of Braselton Highway.

Feb. 17

• Vandalism in the 1700 block of Leigh Meadow Drive.
• Entering auto near the intersection of Braselton Highway and Hamilton Mill Parkway.
• Theft by taking in the 2000 block of Chapel Estates Lane.

Feb. 18

• Entering auto in the 200 block of Dacula Road.
• Entering auto in the 3800 block of Fence Road.
• First-degree forgery in the 3500 block of Braselton Highway.
• Simple battery in the 2000 block of Mineral Springs Road.

Feb. 19

• DUI near the intersection of Auburn Road and Fort Daniels Drive.
• Possession of less than an ounce of marijuana near the intersection of Braselton Highway and Hamilton Creek Parkway.
• Burglary in the 2000 block of Hamilton Creek Parkway.
• Battery in the 3600 block of Fair Hill Drive.

Feb. 20

• Entering auto in the 2200 block of Stanley Road.
• Two cases of entering auto in the 200 block of Whisper Way.
• Entering auto in the 2500 block of Whisper Court.
• DUI arrest near the intersection of Hamilton Mill Road and I-85.

Feb. 21

• Two cases of entering auto in the 300 block of Whisper Way.