A Dalton man was charged with driving under the influence early Friday after crashing his pickup into a cemetery and damaging about a dozen headstones, police said.

Officers responded to the West Hill Cemetery about 2 a.m. to find Cliff Erick Sneed, 41, and his damaged Chevrolet truck in the graveyard, Dalton police spokesman Bruce Frazier said.

Cliff Erick Sneed

Credit: Whitfield County Sheriff's Office

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Credit: Whitfield County Sheriff's Office

Police said Sneed was traveling east on Emery Street near the New Georgia Apartments when he lost control around a curve, left the roadway and ran over about a dozen graves.

According to the report, Sneed was asked to perform several field sobriety tests at the scene before he was handcuffed and charged with DUI and failure to maintain lane.

Dalton officers are working with the city’s public works department to determine exactly how many graves were damaged or destroyed in the crash and notify family members, Frazier said.

Sneed was released from the Whitfield County Jail Friday morning, records show.

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