Hall County sheriff charged with DUI was over twice legal limit, GSP says

When Hall County Sheriff Gerald Jay Couch was arrested and charged with DUI last week, his blood alcohol level was more than 2½ times the legal limit, according to a newly released report.

Couch, 63, has served as the county’s elected law enforcement chief for more than a decade.

Before being handcuffed Friday and booked into his own jail, Couch said he had been “drinking and that he had screwed up,” according to a Georgia State Patrol incident report obtained Wednesday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His blood alcohol level was 0.212, more than 2½ times the state’s legal limit of 0.08, the report revealed.

After he was spotted swerving in a county-issued vehicle, he was arrested and charged with DUI, failure to maintain a lane and open container, officials said. He was released from the Hall jail on a $1,560 bond that same day.

Couch’s attorney, Blake Poole, told the AJC in an email the sheriff intends to continue cooperating with authorities.

“Sheriff Couch has dedicated more than 40 years of his life to serving this community in law enforcement. Throughout his career, he has upheld the law, protected the public, and led with integrity. That decades-long record of service deserves to be considered alongside any present allegations,” Poole said.

Neither Couch nor a spokesperson for the Hall County Sheriff’s Office could be reached for comment. The day after the arrest, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said next steps would “emerge in the coming days as we process this.”

Couch became sheriff in 2013 but had worked at the Hall sheriff’s office since October 1981. As of Wednesday, his Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council certification remained in good standing.

A spokesperson for Gov. Brian Kemp confirmed to the AJC this week that his office was “aware of the situation.” No additional details were provided. Georgia law allows the governor to form a committee to investigate a sheriff, a move that can lead to the governor authorizing a suspension or other actions.

The incident leading to the arrest began when a sheriff’s office captain and a chief deputy headed to Couch’s home on Ledan Road to pick up his “county vehicle due to him having some alcohol issues,” according to the state patrol report.

The incident report did not clarify why the agency employees were tasked with picking up the vehicle that day, and the sheriff’s office did not respond to further questions.

On their way to their boss’ residence, the sheriff’s office employees observed a driver in a Chevrolet Tahoe weaving across lane lines around 10:30 a.m., law enforcement said. They followed the vehicle until it led them to Couch’s home, the report stated.

When they realized the driver was the sheriff, they contacted GSP for help.

The chief deputy said he could smell alcohol on the sheriff, who also was unsteady on his feet, the report said. The chief deputy said Couch had recently been at the hospital with a “high” blood alcohol level and that an unidentified friend had spoken to the sheriff earlier that day “advising him he did not need to be driving,” the report stated. The report does not specify when Couch was at the hospital.

The trooper who spoke with Couch wrote in the incident report he could smell a “strong odor” of alcohol on the sheriff’s breath. Couch told the trooper he had gone to the Georgia Credit Union before returning home.

Couch said he had been drinking Four Loko malt beverage and stated he had his first drink at 6 a.m. and his last about two hours later, according to the report.

Before Couch agreed to a field evaluation and a preliminary breath test, the incident report stated he told the trooper, “He had no problems driving and that he was good. He continued stating seriously he was good.”