Joshua Salazar

Name of Accused:
SALAZAR, JOSHUA LEE

Date of Arrest:
08/10/2024


Charges For Arrest:
DUI – DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL – CONCENTRATION IS 0.08G OR MORE WITHIN 3 HRS OR MORE
HIT AND RUN; DUTY OF DRIVER TO STOP AT OR RETURN TO SCENE OF ACCIDENT
FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On 08/10/2024
at approximately 1600 hours, I (Officer Calcutt) responded with officers to the area of South Park Street and Kroger in reference to a hit and run motor vehicle collision. Officers were advised that the suspect vehicle was a white Ford sedan with possible front-end damage. The complainant advised dispatch that they had last seen the vehicle pull into 1375 South Park Street (Hardees). Dispatch stated the victim, [VICTIM ], was standing by in the Kroger shopping center.
While en route, I learned that officers had located the suspect vehicle in the Hardees parking lot. Upon my arrival, I made with [VICTIM ]. When asked what happened, [VICTIM ] stated that he was stopped in the left turn lane on South Park Street, getting ready to turn into Kroger. [VICTIM ] stated while he was stopped, he felt an impact an realized that the sedan behind him ran into the back of his vehicle. [VICTIM ] stated the driver simply backed up and did not react. [VICTIM ] stated he exited his vehicle and knocked on the suspects window.
[VICTIM ] stated the suspect rolled down the window and [VICTIM ] told him that he had struck his vehicle. [VICTIM ] stated the suspect then drove around him into the shopping center. [VICTIM ] stated he followed the suspect (described as a white sedan driven by a white male). [VICTIM ] stated the suspect drove in a big circle around the shopping center and appeared to be trying to flee the scene of the collision. [VICTIM ] stated he saw the suspect vehicle go towards Hardees. During the interview, [VICTIM ] confirmed that the suspect and vehicle officers were out with at Hardees was the one who struck him.
Officers on scene advised a witness named [WITNESS ] had also identified Joshua as the hit and run suspect and saw Joshua attempting to flee through the shopping center parking lot. [WITNESS ] left the scene prior to officer arrival and I conducted an interview with him over the phone. [WITNESS ] stated that he was in the left turn lane behind the suspect and victim vehicles. [WITNESS ] stated he saw the white sedan strike the car in front of it, and flee into the shopping center. [WITNESS ] stated he followed the vehicles into the shopping center and saw the white sedan continue to flee through the parking lot. [WITNESS ] stated officers arrived shortly after this.
I relocated and made with the suspect, Joshua Salazar. Joshua was seated in a white Ford Five Hundred with Georgia tag #[REDACTED]. I asked Joshua to walk with me to my patrol vehicle and asked for consent to his person. Joshua gave verbal consent, nothing of note was found.
I asked Joshua about the collision. Joshua denied that he had struck anyone and denied that he had fled the scene of an accident. Joshua stated that he was driving on South Park Street and turned into Hardees to get some food. While speaking with Joshua, I smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath. Joshua’s speech was slow and slurred. Joshua’s eyes were also watery and glossy. Joshua was unable to stand still, and was swaying in a side-to-side motion. It appeared to me that Joshua was impaired by alcohol.
I observed that the front bumper of Joshua’s vehicle was caved in and there were scratches further down. This corresponded with the damage to the victim vehicle. Joshua’s rear bumper was also damaged and there was grass and dirt wedged where the bumper meets the trunk. This indicated to me that Joshua may have possibly ran off the roadway or into a ditch prior to officer .
I asked Joshua if he would be willing to perform some evaluations to ensure me that he was safe to drive. Joshua verbally consented to this. During the field sobriety evaluations, I observed the following clues of impairment with each test:
-Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus – 6 out of 6 clues
-Walk and Turn – 6 out of 8 clues
-One Leg Stand – 3 out of 4 clues
Throughout the evaluations, Joshua could not follow even simple instructions due to his intoxication. Joshua consented to giving his breath and blowing into a portable alcosensor (PBT). Joshua was unable to give a full sample, so only a partial breath sample was collected. This partial breath sample indicated Joshua had a 0.113 BAC (legal limit is 0.08).
Joshua was informed that he was under arrest for DUI Alcohol Per Se, Hit and Run, and Following Too Closely. Joshua was handcuffed, double locked, and checked for fit.
Joshua was read his Miranda Rights and advised he understood them. Joshua was read the Georgia Implied Consent Notice for Drivers Over 21 YOA. Joshua consented to the state administered test of his blood.
Joshua was transported to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office for booking. True Peaks met us at the Sheriff’s Office and drew blood from Joshua’s right arm at 1715. This blood was placed into a GBI toxicology kit and was placed into evidence #005.
[End of Narrative]