Cops: Clayton man arrested for DUI after child calls 911
A 911 call from a child Sunday afternoon led Clayton County police to charge a Hampton man with 18 criminal counts, including DUI, reckless endangerment and battery.
Officers responding to the call discovered a Ford Taurus driven by Garrick Hall parked on Flint River Road in Riverdale. Inside the vehicle were his wife, two of his children and two nephews. The children are all under the age of 10.
According to the arrest warrant, Hall’s eyes were “red and glassy and his speech was slurred.” Police said he later registered a blood alcohol content of .197 — more than double the legal limit of .08.
Hall’s wife alleged that her husband had struck a curb on Homewood Drive then proceeded to drive another 100-plus feet on the wrong side of the road. That spurred an argument between the couple, the warrant states, and after pulling his vehicle over, Hall allegedly slapped his wife in the back of the head in view of the four children — none of whom were wearing safety belts.
Hall, 39, is charged with DUI, battery, four counts of child endangerment, four counts of cruelty to children, seat belt violations, driving on the wrong side of the road, failure to maintain lane, failure to obtain a Georgia driver’s license and reckless driving. He was transported to Clayton County Jail, where he remained in custody as of late Tuesday afternoon.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
