A Forsyth County deputy was placed on administrative leave following his DUI arrest last week at a New Year’s roadblock, authorities said.
Justin Voss, 33, was arrested in Dawson County on Jan. 1 after nearly driving through a police checkpoint on Ga. 53, according to an incident report from the Georgia State Patrol.
A state trooper responded to the roadblock set up by the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office just before 1 a.m. A sergeant at the scene told the trooper that Voss almost drove through the checkpoint in his Chevrolet SUV and that he and other officers had to flag him down to get him to stop, according to the report.
Deputies smelled alcohol on Voss’ breath and noticed his eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred, authorities said. When asked how much he had to drink, Voss reportedly told the trooper he had four Landshark beers since about 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.
A roadside DUI test was conducted and the deputy’s blood alcohol level registered at .109, the report said. The legal limit for Georgia drivers is .08. Voss was also given a field sobriety test at the scene, which he reportedly failed.
“During the instructional phase of this evaluation, Voss almost immediately got into the wrong position by putting his left heel in front of his right toes before I could instruct to him to get into the proper position,” the trooper wrote in his report.
He was arrested at the scene and taken to a Lumpkin County hospital for a blood test before being booked into the Dawson County Jail, authorities said.
“We were made aware of Deputy Voss’ arrest for DUI and placed him on administrative leave while an internal investigation is conducted,” Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Stacie Miller said in an emailed statement.
She said the agency has requested police reports and videos from the arrest to use in the deputy’s internal affairs investigation, and that the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council has been notified.
“The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office takes DUIs very seriously,” the statement read. “We have run several awareness campaigns throughout the year with messages stressing there are no warnings for DUI because when you drive drunk you put your life and other lives in jeopardy.”
Last year, Forsyth County deputies made 893 DUI arrests, Miller said.
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