A Canton city councilman was arrested last month and accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, officials said Tuesday.
Nick Estes was stopped by Canton police May 14 and arrested on charges of DUI and failure to maintain lane. Estes, who is serving his first term on the council, is a part owner of a craft beer and wine shop in downtown Canton and is a self-proclaimed hobby brewer.
Estes was released from the Cherokee County Jail on a $1,560 bond the same day of his arrest, according to the sheriff’s office.
The city of Canton is aware of Estes’ arrest, city manager Billy Peppers told Channel 2 Action News.
“At that time, the chief of police contacted the city manager and per the city charter, the city manager made the mayor aware of the situation,” Peppers said in a statement. “As this case is in the judicial process, the city will have no further comment.”
Estes was pulled over in his Tesla around 1 a.m. May 14, according to online court records. A Canton police officer saw him allegedly weaving in and out of lanes on Reinhardt College Parkway.
He was asked to get out of the car and take field sobriety tests, to which Estes’ attorney, John Connolly, claims he never voluntarily consented. Connolly has asked a judge to suppress the charges on the grounds that Estes was compelled to take the tests and was illegally detained while doing so.
Estes is not eligible for the county’s misdemeanor DUI/Drug Court program because he has no prior DUI arrests, according to the county solicitor. He is scheduled for an arraignment Thursday morning in Cherokee County State Court.
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