A former Forsyth County deputy charged with driving under the influence was nearly four times over the legal limit when he drove his unmarked cruiser to a 9/11 luncheon, an internal investigation revealed.
Gregory Cannon, 46, was fired Sept. 13, two days after he allegedly showed up at a first responders’ appreciation event with glassy eyes, slurred speech and a blood alcohol level of 0.311%, according to documents obtained Tuesday through an open records request.
The legal blood alcohol level for drivers in Georgia is .08.
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According to the investigation, several of Cannon’s coworkers reported him to their superiors shortly after he arrived at the luncheon at Billy Howell Ford.
Cannon initially blew a 0.196, according to the report, but his blood alcohol levels came back much higher when he was tested at a medical center that afternoon.
According to the report, the deputy told his supervisors he had been drinking with his girlfriend the night before. He also admitted that he came home and “did shots” that morning after a court case he was attending got dismissed, according to the report.
Cannon told investigators he wasn’t sure how many shots he drank, but said “he needed immediate help for his alcohol problem,” the report said. The day he got in trouble, Cannon’s coworkers discovered an empty bottle of whiskey in a bag near his desk, authorities wrote.
MORE: Ex-Forsyth County deputy faces DUI after showing up drunk to 9/11 luncheon, cops say
Cannon, who had worked for the sheriff’s office since 2007, had no disciplinary history before last month’s incident, according to his Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council records.
In a statement, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said the department “takes a firm stance on the misuse of alcohol or any drug by employees.
“Citizens of Forsyth County deserve the highest level of professionalism and any employee using alcohol on duty has betrayed that trust and will be held accountable,” the statement reads.
Cannon was arrested nearly two weeks after the incident and released from the county jail the same day on a $2,770 bond, records show.
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