Drunk Man Arrested After He Claimed His Dog Drove Him To The Store
60-year-old Wesley Mark Terrell of Creekshore Drive was arrested Wednesday after he told an Oconee County Sheriff that his dog drove him to the store. According to WSMV News, Sergeant Partain was responding to a citizen’s call about a dog locked in a hot car at a business called Bell’s Food Store. Sgt. Partain said that the temperature outside was a stifling 99 degrees. When the officer measured the interior of the car with a handheld thermometer, the temperature was 123 degrees. The officer also said that the vehicle Terrell drove to the store contained a can of gasoline which, combined with the stagnant air, caused the vehicle to stink.
Wesley Terrell explained to the Onconee County Sheriff sergeant that his dog drove him to Bell’s Food Store to purchase corn. Apparently, Terrell was heavily intoxicated and found the story plausible. Unfortunately for Terrell, Partain didn’t buy the man’s story. The drunk man was arrested and charged with a DUI. The dog that the drunk man claimed drove him to the store is being sheltered by Animal Control. In addition to being charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol, the Georgia man was also charged with animal cruelty because of the extreme temperature within the car.
On Facebook, Tara Stewart-Clark mentions her appreciation for Sgt. Partain’s prompt response to her call about the animal trapped in the sweltering heat of the car. Tara says she removed the dog from the car while she waited for the police to address the matter with the dog’s caregiver. Tara wrote, “Thank you Deputies for the Great response to my call,Especially Sgt. Partain, I have fur children and i do not regret taking this dog out of that dang vehicle, i would i do it again. Thank you Sheriff for all your departments care and concern for us as residents and the animals that depend on us.”
Facebook user Rose Hays wrote, “Great job – the stupid drunken fool – shouldn’t be allowed to ever have any pet let alone this poor defense dog! Plus he should not be able to drive a vehicle ever again or wait the dog was driving right?!?”
Before or after eating his homework? MT @KLTV7: Man tried to dodge DUI, said dog drove him to store. http://t.co/qM5eqh5oAH
— Erik Sherman (@ErikSherman) July 3, 2014
Tim Ivey said, “That’s a Helluva way to treat a dog that will drive you around.” As people poke fun of the man’s ridiculous story though, others in Oconee have asked how they can adopt the dog that was trapped in the hot vehicle.
If this is Terrell’s first DUI, Georgia law says that he is facing a fine of between three hundred and a thousand dollars as well as up to a year in jail. He could also get his driver’s license revoked for up to a year. The first charge of animal cruelty in Georgia is considered a misdemeanor.
If the judge finds him guilty, what do you think should be the punishment for the Georgia man who claimed his dog drove him to the store in an attempt to evade a DUI?
[Photo via KLTV’s Twitter]
