CARROLLTON, Ga. — The Georgia Department of Driver Services has reinstated a man’s license after it was suspended over a DUI charge in another state that he has never visited.
Channel 2 investigates first introduced you to Justin Jones, a Carroll County high school administrator, on Wednesday during Channel 2 Action News at 6:00 p.m.
“I received a letter in the mail, the beginning of October, that my license was suspended. That was a surprise,” Justin Jones told Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray.
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The letter said his license was suspended for a DUI charge in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The problem?
“Never been to New Mexico, never driven through New Mexico. I’ve never even stepped foot in the state off a plane,” Jones said.
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Jones said the date listed for the DUI was Dec. 24, 2005, the day after his 21st birthday. He knows he was home celebrating.
Jones visited the Georgia Department of Driver Services to try and clear up the confusion. Instead, he was told he had to come up with the proof that it wasn’t his DUI charge.
He provided a stamped and sealed document from the court clerk in New Mexico stating he has no convictions there. The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department also sent a letter.
Jones still couldn’t get his license back. He’s been without it for months until Thursday when Gray received an update from the DDS.
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The department said it has reinstated Jones’ driver’s license and that it is reviewing procedures for team members from when this situation occurred.
“The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) has reached out to the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (NMMVD) on numerous occasions requesting confirmation that the suspension they transmitted to our agency was incorrect.
Today, DDS was informed that the required release had been erroneously transmitted from NMMVD to another state instead of the Georgia DDS. After receiving the needed documentation, DDS promptly corrected the customer’s record, immediately contacted the customer to apologize, and inform him of next steps.
We sincerely apologize for the difficulty that the customer has had and will be reviewing the procedures that our Team Members follow when this situation arises at a Customer Service Center (CSC)."