One included man booked with small children in backseat late in the evening

Two different agencies reported 10 DUI arrests over the weekend during traffic stops, according to bookings listed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office this morning.

Included in one of those arrests was a man who was driving in the area around Aragon with children in the backseat and his wife next to him in the passenger seat, apparently able to drive before he got behind the wheel.

That arrest was for Chukwuemeka N Nwokedi, 29, of a Rome address, who was booked on Sunday night when he was pulled over near the intersection of White River Road and Highway 101 around 10:30 p.m.

After being spotted driving with a headlight out and failing to stop after emergency lights went on the police cruiser near Wood Road on Highway 101, police stopped him on White River Road after he turned and nearly struck the curb.

Nwokedi told police when he failed to stop immediately that he was seeking “a safe place to stop” even after passing at least one brightly lit area at Highway 101 and Holly Street.

The officer noted smelling alcohol when speaking with Nwokedi, and was asked to step out of the car and perform a field sobriety test.

Per the report, he failed in several ways and refused to take a breathalyzer. He was taken into custody on the DUI and had at one point took his shoes off for the test, and fell down when he was trying to put them back on before being cuffed.

Police noted that he had a two children in the backseat, one two years old and one a six year old.

The officer charged Nwokedi with misdemeanors for DUI, two counts of DUI child endangerment, headlight requirements and failure to yield for authorized emergency vehicle.

Another of those arrested was Nicholas Williams, 19, of a Rome address as well. He was stopped at Highway 278 at the Chick-fil-A by Polk County Police. He had no license when he was being stopped, had failed to dim his lights at the intersection with Piedmont Avenue and Nathan Dean Parkway prior to that, and ultimately police found out he was driving on a learner’s permit that expired earlier in the year.

Police gave him a field sobriety test and determined he was driving under the influence of drugs. Prior to being arrested, police asked why he hadn’t gotten his permit upgraded to a license and was told he “meant to do it today, but he got busy.”

He was booked on charges of driving under the influence of drugs, driving without a valid license and failure to dim headlights. Williams remained in jail on the misdemeanor charges with a $3,500 bond.

His story was just one of several that were booked over the weekend. Those also included Amberly Adams, 37; Robert Jonathan Austin, 41; Marcquitta Alicia Head, 36; Michael David Holtzclaw, 45; Darran Akeith Staples, 45; Shannon Katherine Wiggins, 25; and Jonthan Benjamin Whatley, 39.

Six of those arrests were made by the Polk County Police, and another four made by the Rockmart Police.