An alleged drunk driver tried to trick a Douglas police officer to escape a DUI charge. It didn’t work.
According to a report from the Douglas Police Department, around 9:20 p.m. on July 19, 2026, an officer responded to a possible drunk driver near Club Drive. The officer found the vehicle and followed it for a short distance. After observing several traffic violations, the officer stopped the vehicle at Bo Jo Ella Drive and Lake Drive.
When he approached the car, the lone occupant, identified as Andrew Christopher Smith, 39, was sitting in the passenger’s seat. The officer reached in the car, turned it off, and removed the keys.
The report says that Smith stated that the driver of the vehicle jumped out and ran when it stopped. Smith said he was intoxicated and not safe to drive. The officer noted in the report that at no time did he see anyone jump out of the vehicle during the stop. The officer asked Smith to get out of the vehicle and take a field sobriety test. Smith refused, according to the report.
Officers also found an open bottle of an alcoholic beverage in the car.
During the stop, officers learned that Smith had a suspended license and he had an active probation warrant through the county for DUI.
Smith was arrested on nine charges: four traffic violations along with open container, resisting an officer, a probation violation, driving with a suspended license, and DUI. He remains in the Coffee County Jail.
