Police: Driver's Blood Alcohol Level Was More Than Four Times the Legal Limit

A Flowery Branch woman's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) registered at more than four times the legal limit after she was taken into custody on suspicion of drunk driving.

A Gwinnett County Police officer found Jennie Hughes, 59, sitting in a Jeep Wrangler on the side of Buford Dam Road on the evening of March 8. The Wrangler had two flat tires, which were both off the rims.

After multiple attempts to get her attention, Hughes finally acknowledged the officer's presence and indicated she was fine. The officer noticed a faint odor of alcoholic beverage, but indicated in the report the odor was "quickly overwhelmed by the odor of freshly burned tires."

Hughes had difficulty retrieving her license and showed obvious signs of impairment, according to the police report. When asked to step out of the vehicle, Hughes stumbled but the officer was able to catch her before she fell all the way to the ground.

"I asked her to explain what was going on and how she came to be sitting in her car on the side of the road with two flat tires, unable to stand or walk without assistance and no clue as to what was going on," the officer wrote in the report.

Hughes advised she had been dealing with some personal problems. At that point, the officer attempted to conduct field sobriety evaluations. Hughes was reportedly unable to complete the test due to her inability to follow the officer's instructions.

Based on Hughes' behavior and signs of impairment, she was placed under arrest for DUI and her vehicle impounded. During the impound inventory, the officer found a coffee mug containing a fluid with a "very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage."

Hughes was transported to the Gwinnett County Jail where a deputy administered the state breath test. The results indicated Hughes' BAC was .337. The legal limit for operating a motor vehicle is 0.08 percent. Due to the extremely high reading, Hughes was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center and admitted for evaluation.

Hughes was cited for DUI, open container and failure to maintain lane.

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