A Calhoun official will be suspended for 30 days without pay after he was arrested for DUI over the weekend.
Franklin Eddie Peterson, 69, was arrested by a Calhoun police officer about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, according to Northwest Georgia News.
On Tuesday, the Calhoun City Council unanimously voted to suspend Peterson without pay after his arrest, according to the paper.
The meeting was called as a “special emergency meeting and executive session to discuss a personnel matter of exigent circumstances timing.”
City Police Chief Tony Pyle confirmed the arrest Monday and later released details about the arrest. Peterson backed his truck into another vehicle in the parking lot of his home at Heritage Hill Condominiums, according to the police report. He told the officers the space is typically empty.
Peterson reportedly performed poorly on several field sobriety tests, including a one-leg-stand test that had to be stopped. His breathing sample registered a 0.224 blood alcohol level, nearly three times the legal limit.
“Mr. Peterson could not comprehend instructions and began taking steps and lost his balance, so testing had to be stopped for his safety,” according to the report.
In the Tuesday council meeting, officials said Peterson’s suspension was suggested based on the arrest and “questions about recent job performance,” but Calhoun Mayor Jimmy Palmer and council members did not comment further on the motion.
Assistant City Administrator Paul Worley will serve as acting city administrator during the suspension.
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