The suspended Hall County Sheriff, Gerald Couch, was arrested Monday for a second driving offense this year, according to the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office.
Couch, 63, of Gainesville, was pulled over on Georgia 400 after a Dawson County Sheriff’s deputy noticed him swerving outside his lane. During the traffic stop, officials said the deputy learned Couch was driving on a limited driving permit and was violating those conditions.
The deputy arrested Couch for driving outside the conditions of his limited permit and failure to maintain a lane. He was booked into the Dawson County Jail and later bonded out, according to sheriff’s officials.
Couch was previously arrested by one of his own deputies on Feb. 27 and charged with driving under the influence, failure to maintain a lane, and possession of an open container. According to arrest records, his blood alcohol level during that incident was 0.212%, well above the state legal limit of 0.08%.
Following that arrest, Gov. Brian Kemp suspended Couch on March 17. That suspension is currently set to last until May 17.
It remains unclear whether Couch will be removed from his position permanently following this latest incident.
