Former University of Georgia tight end and NFL draft hopeful Orson Charles was arrested in Athens early Friday and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Clarke County Jail records show that Charles, 21, was booked in about 4:30 a.m. and released on $1,750 bond an hour later. He was arrested by Athens-Clarke County police.
Police spokeswoman Hilda Sorrow told the AJC that an officer on patrol saw Charles' vehicle stopped in the middle of South Milledge Avenue near Morton Avenue around 3 a.m.
"The officer stopped behind the vehicle and after a few seconds flashed his high beams in an attempt to get the attention of the driver," Sorrow said.
"When the driver did not move, the officer exited his vehicle to check, thinking the vehicle might be disabled or the driver might need assistance," Sorrow said. "At that time, the vehicle started to move."
She said the officer returned to his car and turned on his blue lights, and Charles pulled into a nearby parking lot.
She said that when the officer approached Charles, "he smelled the odor of alcohol."
The officer gave Charles a field sobriety test, and after completing the test, Charles was arrested and charged with DUI and Impeding Traffic Flow/Minimum Speed. According to police, his blood alcohol level was .095, above the state's legal limit of .08.
The junior from Tampa, who caught nearly 100 passes in three seasons for the Bulldogs, is considered one of the top tight ends in next month's NFL draft.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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