A man and his son are both facing charges after authorities said they drove around Woodstock illegally using a siren and loudspeaker.
Ryan Schmidt, 51, was operating the siren and speaker system while his 17-year-old son drove the vehicle, according to Cherokee County sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Jay Baker.
About 11 a.m. Saturday, a 911 caller reported that someone was driving around with a siren instructing other drivers to get out of their cars over a loudspeaker, Baker said. The 911 dispatcher could hear the siren over the call.
Deputies made contact with the Schmidts after they stopped in a shopping center in the Towne Lake area, Baker said.
Schmidt told deputies he had just bought the siren and was showing it off to his son and his friends. Three other people were inside the vehicle at the time, Baker said.
According to state law, only authorized emergency vehicles can be equipped with sirens, and even those vehicles should only use them in emergencies.
Ryan Schmidt was charged with use of an emergency siren and party to the crime of aggressive driving. His son was charged with use of an emergency siren and aggressive driving.
They were both booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center, where they were released on $2,035 bond.
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