Drunk Bartender With a Fake ID Arrested for DUI After LYING to Deputy

Around 1:47 AM on February 5, 2023, Officer Zachary Davis with the Athens-Clarke County Police observed a 2016 Mercedes-Benz swerving across the fog line on S Milledge Avenue just before Riverbend Road. He activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, and the driver pulled over near the entrance to the UGA Softball Stadium. He made contact with the driver and her passenger, and the driver informed him that she did not have her driver’s license with her. She was later identified as 20-year-old Rachel Ferguson, and her passenger was later identified as Elizabeth Coffin.

Officer Davis told Rachel that he observed multiple traffic violations. As he was speaking with her, he detected the odor of alcohol. Rachel told the officer that she was picking up her friend from downtown Athens, so Officer Davis asked Rachel to exit the vehicle. Since he still smelled alcohol on Rachel’s person, he asked her to perform field sobriety exercises.

Officer Davis started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, and he observed the lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. He did not observe vertical nystagmus. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Rachel did not touch heel-to-toe on each step and took an incorrect number of steps. The third exercise was the One Leg Stand test, but Rachel did not follow instructions at all and took a series of elongated steps instead of raising her fot.

Based on her erratic driving, the odor of alcohol, and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Rachel was placed under arrest for DUI. After Rachel was placed under arrest, Officer Davis read her the Georgia Implied Consent Notice, and she agreed to submit breath samples. She was transported to a substation where Sergeant Dieball administered the breathalyzer test. During the administration of the breathalyzer, she told Sergeant Dieball that she has worked as a bartender at Moonshine Bar & Grill. Her breath test results indicated a BAC of 0.161%, which was more than double the legal limit of 0.08% for drivers over 21.

Officer Davis then transported Rachel to the Clarke County Jail for further processing. As she was being transported to the jail, another officer called Officer Davis and informed him that she had found a fake ID inside Rachel’s vehicle. Rachel was issued the following summonses: DUI – Alcohol – Under 21 YOA (40-6-391(k)) and Failure to Maintain Lane (40-6-48)

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