Douglas County Man Convicted Of 7th DUI

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — A Douglas County man on Thursday was convicted for the seventh time of driving under the influence.

A jury deliberated for about 10 minutes before convicting George Thomason, 58, of Lithia Springs, on charges including DUI, operating a vehicle without registration and failure to wear a seat belt.

Chief State Court Judge Neal Dettmering sentenced Thomason to four years, with 30 months to be served in the Douglas County Jail and the remainder to be served on probation.

At sentencing, Chief Assistant Solicitor David Holmes, who prosecuted the case, told the court "it is by the grace of God that Mr. Thomason has not killed himself or someone else with his record of seven DUI convictions," arguing his punishment should be severe.

At about 6:30 p.m. on Feburary 9, a Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputy responded to a disturbance call on King Drive in Douglasville.

Once there, the deputy saw Thomason driving away from him despite having a flat front tire.

After the deputy activated his blue lights, Thomason pulled over into a local auto repair shop, but struck another vehicle parked inside the garage.

The deputy noticed a strong odor of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and that Thomason was unsteady on his feet. Thomason admitted to drinking prior to driving.

He refused all field sobriety tests and a breath test and actively resisted having his blood drawn after a search warrant was obtained.

Thomason's blood-alcohol content was .165 — more than twice the legal limit.

Photo courtesy Douglas County Solicitor's Office