CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A former county commissioner accused of driving under the influence with her kids in the car says that she did nothing wrong.
Felicia Franklin Warner says deputies should have never used a PIT maneuver to get her to stop.
Channel 2’s Tom Jones was present when Warner went before a Clayton County Magistrate Court judge and realized it was being livestreamed. That’s when she began to adjust her appearance.
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“Oh, it’s on YouTube, wonderful. Wait a minute,” she said.
She also was shocked to see who was representing her.
“Florio? What’s up,” she said after noticing defense attorney Thomas Florio on camera.
But then Warner became concerned that he was representing her.
“How you gonna represent me when you was representing the person that I had to deal with before now. Is that gonna be a conflict of interest?” she asked before the judge took the bench.
“There is no conflict,” Florio replied.
Florio repeatedly warned Warner that the hearing was being livestreamed and not to talk.
But when the judge told her she faces charges of DUI alcohol, fleeing from police, reckless driving, two counts of child cruelty and more, Warner wanted to set the record straight.
“Uh, ma’am. That’s not correct,” Warner said.
That’s when her attorney stepped in.
“Ms. Warner, I’ll do the talking. Please don’t talk,” Florio said.
“Okay. No problem,” Warner responded.
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Georgia State Patrol was called to investigate the incident. A trooper says a Clayton County deputy tried to initiate a traffic stop, but Warner kept going on Jan. 22. The deputy then used a PIT maneuver to get her to stop on Fayetteville Road.
Warner’s attorney says GSP noted it didn’t believe Warner was under the influence. Florio says someone overrode the trooper’s observation.
Florio said the PIT maneuver was illegal and unnecessary.
“We don’t believe that she fled from the police. We believe she made efforts to notify law enforcement that she was attempting to stop,” he said.
Florio said he strongly believes there’s no evidence Warner is guilty of anything.
“I can not stress enough that we genuinely believe that there’s no evidence as to her having committed any of these crimes,” he said.
Warner is now out on a $13,000 bond. The two child cruelty counts are because she had two of her children in the car.
Warner insists she had her hazards on and kept going to find a safe place to park.
Deputies say she increased her speed, and they were concerned she was a threat to public safety.
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