Even so-called “golden boys” occasionally fall from grace. In this case, a police officer went from “Deputy of the Year” to a drunk driver. However, he didn’t just take a booze-soaked joy ride. No, he tried his hand at drunkenly directing traffic. 

Georgia cops arrested an award-winning police officer for drunk driving and directing imaginary traffic near a school

In 2019, Garrison Page received a “Deputy of the Year” award for his work with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office in central Georgia. Now, five years later, police officers arrested Page for driving under the influence (DUI) and his inebriated behavior near Skyview Elementary School.

Page recently took a job with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, a law enforcement agency near Bibb County. He had only been on the job for a week when police officers encountered Page near the elementary school. He was reportedly out of uniform and appeared intoxicated.

A deputy on the scene said the drunk police officer was trying to direct and gesture at traffic. Unsettlingly, the road was empty. Page was attempting to direct nonexistent traffic. He also didn’t want to interact with the officers. “When Page noticed my presence, he immediately began walking away from the scene and entered the oncoming turning lane of the roadway,” a deputy wrote in a report. 

Frankly, Page was a bit belligerent with the arresting officers. At one point, an officer asked him if he had taken any medications or required medical attention. Page responded by telling the officer “None of your business,” per The Independent. It didn’t stop there, either. 

Troublingly, Page’s patrol car was nearby. Police searched the vehicle and found alcoholic beverages. While a closed container of alcohol in a car isn’t itself a crime, his open container of Mike’s Hard Lemonade is illegal in Georgia. Cops requested that Page take a breathalyzer test. He refused. They arrested him.

Worse yet, the drunk police officer refused a blood test at the county jail. As with other DUI cases, a judge issued a warrant for a blood test from Page. However, when authorities administered the blood test, Page reportedly pulled the needle out of his arm. Not exactly compliant. Understandably, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office fired Page after his first week on the job.