Charges Dropped in Cobb "Eating While Driving" Case

Prosecutors have dropped their case against an Alabama man who was cited by Cobb County police for distracted driving while eating a cheeseburger.

“Given the facts and circumstances investigated by this office, the State does not believe it has the evidence necessary to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, as is the standard required,” The Cobb County Solicitor General’s Office announced Friday.

In mid-January, Harris Turner was pulled over and given a ticket for “eating while driving.” The man had bought a burger from McDonalds and had been eating it while behind the wheel for a few miles before the officer pulled him over, according to WSB-TV. Turner was cited for failing to abide by the state’s distracted driving law.

Cobb County Solicitor General Barry Morgan told The Fulton County Daily report in January that the source of the distraction is irrelevant; his office must decide whether or not the distraction was serious enough to cause the driver to operate his vehicle in an unsafe manner.