Crime & Safety
UPDATE: Sheriff's Deputy Retires Following DUI Arrest
An off-duty officer allegedly told Brandy Kottemann that she did not need to drive.

Editor's note: this story has been updated.
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CARTERSVILLE, GA -- After more than two decades of service, a deputy with the Bartow County Sheriff's Office has retired following her arrest for driving under the influence.
Find out what's happening in Cartersvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
That's according to a statement released Tuesday from Sheriff Clark Millsap, who said Brandy Kottemann retired on Monday, March 7.
Kottemann was arrested late Sunday evening by Cartersville police for DUI after leaving a restaurant.
Find out what's happening in Cartersvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Millsap said Kottemann, who had been employed with the sheriff's office since August 1992, was assigned to the court security division.
The arrest stemmed from a be-on-the-lookout alert issued around 8:23 p.m. March 6 for a "possible drunk driver" behind the wheel of a white Toyota Sequoia leaving the Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse restaurant on Church Street.
The off-duty officer, who serves with the Marietta Police Department, called 911 and told dispatchers he would stay behind the vehicle until an officer could take over the pursuit.
That officer, according to the report, "told the female she did not need to drive."
A Cartersville officer parked in a nearby parking lot was able to catch up with the Toyota, which was waiting at a traffic signal to continue southbound on U.S. 41/Joe Frank Harris Parkway.
The car proceeded on the highway, and the officer noted the passenger vehicle crossed over the white fog line on the shoulder and "then jerk back into the lane of travel."
The officer continued the pursuit and the vehicle made its way on to South Bridge Drive where the driver "took the turn too wide," causing it to veer on the wrong side of the road for several seconds before returning to its proper lane of travel, according to the report.
The officer initiated the traffic stop, and the vehicle pulled over at the Citgo gas station at 445 South Erwin Street.
"As the Toyota Sequoia was turning right into the business, her rear back right tire rode over the curb," the report states.
According to the officer's report, he detected a "slight odor" of alcohol coming from the passenger vehicle of the driver, who was identified as Kottemann.
As Kottemann gave the officer her license, "she stated with slurred speech she was a deputy sheriff with the Bartow County Sheriffs Office," the report alleges.
Kottemann told the officer she was not having a medical emergency and that she did not take any medication before driving.
The officer asked Kottemann to step out of the car, to which she allegedly replied, "Can we call the uhm...I know I've been drinking...I don't even want to do this. I've been a deputy sheriff for 24 years."
Kottemann eventually got out of the car and when asked how much she had to drink, she allegedly told the officer she had "a lot."
The officer asked Kottemann to perform a field sobriety test as part of the investigation.
That request, according to the report, was met with Kottemann allegedly tilting "her head back with a grimace and whine."
The arrest for DUI of alcohol was made following the officer's on-site investigation.
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Image via Cartersville police
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