Bartow Park Coordinator Arrested In Government Vehicle

Bartow County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) records indicate Christopher Joel Patterson — the Gatewood Park Coordinator — was taken into police custody following a stop conducted by a Georgia State Patrol (GSP) officer.

A GSP report obtained by The Daily Tribune News indicates the incident occurred near Bartow Beach Road and Jim Knight Road.

Per the GSP report, officer Richard Holman was contacted by BCSO deputy Ryan Wilson, who told him there was a vehicle stopped and that “the driver was intoxicated.”

Holman arrived on the scene at around 6:42 p.m. Per his write-up of the incident, Patterson, 45, was in a Bartow County vehicle at the time — a 1999 Ford truck with a “GV55546” license plate.

“He advised me he was attempting to block the road by his house to keep a vehicle trapped within a parking lot,” the report reads. “He stated that he was drinking beer and cooking dinner when he heard a truck doing doughnuts in a parking lot.”

The incident report notes that Patterson agreed to participate in a field sobriety test.

BCSO records indicate Patterson is facing one count of failing to exercise due care while operating a motor vehicle and one count of driving under the influence of alcohol to the extent that it is less safe for the person to drive.

Georgia State law also requires a clinical evaluation and the attendance of a DUI / Risk Reduction Program that’s certified/licensed by the Georgia Department of Driver’s Services before your driver’s license can be reinstated if you have been charged with any of the following: