News out of Richmond County, Georgia this week could affect the prosecution of hundreds of cases of people charged with DUI there.
Erik Norman, a Deputy in Richmond County, faced mandatory resignation from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 19 after a prosecutor reported that Norman told her he had falsified readings from a hand-held alcohol-testing device.
Norman told the investigators that he had only done it "once or twice” but couldn’t recall exactly which cases were involved.
Norman’s credibility is gone now, no matter how many times he falsified readings, said Augusta attorney Robert “Bo” Hunter, who prosecuted drunken driving cases as the Richmond County State Court solicitor from 1988 to 1996.
The worst thing here is that there were probably people charged with DUI that should not have been...
Eric Norman was put on the DUI task force in March 2009, during his time on the task force, he arrested an estimated 250 to 400 people.
State Court Solicitor Charles Evans said his office has 62 pending DUI cases in which Norman was the arresting officer. Each will have to be judged on its merits to determine whether to continue prosecuting them as DUIs. If necessary, the office will bring in Norman as a trial witness, Evans said.
Falsifying evidence is a felony, but prosecuting Norman for it would be difficult. A prosecutor would have to prove in which case Norman falsified the results, and there is no way to uncover those cases without Norman’s admission, and he claimed he didn’t know which cases were falsified.
Do you really think this Georgia deputy is the only cop out there falsifying breathalyzer readings to justify his
DUI arrest? I highly doubt it. The fact of the matter is that these federal and state grants that allow for these
DUI tasks forces are happening nationwide, and all of these cops including the Kansas ones are under pressure to "catch"
DUI offenders.... It sure makes you wonder.
If you or a loved one are facing DUI or other criminal charges in Kansas, call our office to speak with an experienced Overland Park Criminal Defense attorney to set up a free consultation. Contact our office today.