The husband of Georgia’s Department of Family and Children Services director is facing multiple charges after state troopers say he was driving under the influence with two young children in the vehicle.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, 43-year-old Jason Broce was stopped on Oct. 16 after troopers responded to a reported hit-and-run in Bartow County. They said they later found Broce’s truck a few miles away, weaving along the road.
An incident report states a trooper noted “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage, bloodshot watery eyes and mumbled and slow speech” when speaking with Broce. Two children, ages 5 and 8, were also inside the truck at the time, according to investigators.
When asked about visible damage to his vehicle, Broce denied being in a wreck that day and said it happened about 16 months earlier. The report says the trooper “detected the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath,” though Broce denied having consumed alcohol.
A breathalyzer test later returned a positive result for alcohol, investigators said. Broce agreed to a field sobriety test, but the trooper wrote that he was too unsteady to perform the walk-and-turn or one-leg stand. During the horizontal gaze test, the report states Broce was “unable to complete the test due to Mr. Broce repeatedly moving his head and swaying heavily while sitting on my bumper.”
Broce was booked into the Bartow County Jail and charged with driving under the influence and endangering a child under 14 while DUI, among other charges.
Broce is the husband of Candice Broce, who serves as director of Georgia’s Department of Family and Children Services.
A spokesperson for the Department of Human Services said the agency could not comment on personnel matters but added, “there are protocols in place to avoid conflicts of interest if a report is received about an agency employee.”
