ATLANTA,None — Atlanta police confirm they are investigating why an officer failed to file proper paperwork so the state could suspend the driver's license of a Clayton County commissioner arrested on DUI charges.
Police arrested Commissioner Wole Ralph after they say they spotted him driving erratically down Metropolitan Parkway in Southwest Atlanta in February. According to the incident report, Ralph "refused all related DUI testing including field sobriety as well as breathalyzer."
Under the law, when a DUI suspect refuses sobriety testing, the state suspends their license. But in order for that to happen, the Department of Driver Services said the arresting officer must file the proper paperwork within 30 days. A DDS official told Channel 2's Richard Elliot that as of Friday, Ralph's driver's license was still active, more than a month after his arrest.
An Atlanta police spokesman told Elliot they discovered the officer never filed that paperwork.
That DDS official did say that they can still suspend Ralph's license once they get the proper paperwork, even though that 30-day deadline has passed. They also said DDS cannot and will not seek punitive actions against the officer.
Elliot was unable to reach Ralph for comment, but at the time of the arrest, he issued this written statement, "I deeply regret this occurrence. I am not guilty of these violations, and I look forward to resolving this matter in court. I fully expect that I will be afforded the same due process as any other citizen and subsequently vindicated."
An Atlanta police spokesman told Elliot he could not make any further statements about the investigation as it remains open.
WSBTV
