GloRilla refused breathalyzer in DUI arrest, cops say. Is that allowed in Georgia?
Rapper GloRilla was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk and turned down a breathalyzer test following a traffic stop in Gwinnett County, Georgia, police said.
The rap star, born Gloria Hallelujah Woods, was jailed Tuesday on charges of DUI, possessing an open alcoholic beverage container and failure to obey a traffic control device, according to the Suwanee Police Department.
She was later released on a $1,956 bond, WSB-TV reported, citing jail records.
At around 4:15 a.m., police pulled Woods over after they said she made a U-turn at a solid red light. Her eyes were “watery and bloodshot” and she smelled of alcohol, officers said in an arrest report obtained by McClatchy News.
Woods acknowledged she had been drinking but refused to say how much and said “she was good to drive,” the report reads.
The rapper agreed to multiple field sobriety tests — including the walk and turn and one-leg stand evaluation — but refused to give a breath sample, despite repeated requests, according to police.
Is that allowed in Georgia? Here’s what state law says:
Can you refuse a breathalyzer test in Georgia?
In a word, yes. However, be prepared to lose your driving privileges.
Georgia law says consent to “chemical tests of your blood, breath, urine, or other bodily substances” is implied if a driver is arrested on suspicion of driving drunk. Breath tests, in particular, measure a person’s blood alcohol concentration, or their alcohol-to-blood ratio.
The legal limit is .08 for drivers 21 and older.
“If a person under arrest or a person who was involved in any traffic accident resulting in serious injuries or fatalities refuses ... to submit to a chemical test designated by the law enforcement officer ... no test shall be given,” according to state code 40-5-67.1.
Drivers who forgo a breath test risk their license, permit or nonresident driving privileges being suspended for a year — at minimum, Georgia law says. Drivers of commercial vehicles also face a one-year suspension.
Under state law, a refusal can be used as evidence against suspected drunk drivers at trial.
Suwanee is about a 30-mile drive northeast from downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published April 18, 2024 at 11:39 AM with the headline "GloRilla refused breathalyzer in DUI arrest, cops say. Is that allowed in Georgia?."