Alcohol-fueled fight lands Alpharetta couple behind bars

NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Alpharetta police say an alcohol-fueled fight between a husband and wife landed one behind bars on battery, charges and the other on DUI and child endangerment charges.
 
Police said they got a call from John Hamrick, 71, earlier this month claiming his 32-year-old wife, Zoya, was attacking him while he drove.
 
"They had stopped their car on three occasions en route to the residence and got into an altercation, a domestic, verbal, physical," Alpharetta Department of Public Safety Spokesman George Gordon told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik.
 
When officers arrived at the scene, Gordon said they smelled alcohol on Hamrick, who admitted to having a few glasses of wine at dinner.  Gordon said Hamrick also admitted to taking prescription medications earlier in the day.
 
"Our police officer determined the male was intoxicated, had been driving under the influence," said Gordon.
 
Police also arrested Hamrick with child endangerment because his daughter was in the car.  His wife, Zoya, is facing battery charges.
 
"There's just no excuse for it," said Gordon.
 
Mr. Hamrick's attorney, George Stein, told Petchenik his client was falsely arrested and was not drunk.
 
"He took a breath test on the scene and blew an .04 (percent). The limit is .08 (percent), so that's half the limit," said Stein.  "He's the one who called the police.  When a citizen calls police, they expect the police will come to render some aid to them."
 
Stein said his client had taken some prescribed medicine earlier in the day, but contends it had no effect on his driving.
 
"If you have prescription from a doctor for a legitimate medical condition, and you've been taking that prescription for years, the body adjusts," he said.

WSBTV