On December 24th, 2025, Corporal Roads of the Zebulon Police Department received an unusual request from Griffin Police Department dispatch asking him to stop one of their own officers driving a marked patrol vehicle. The lieutenant indicated the officer might be impaired and requested detention with caution. The officer being detained, Mr. Welling, had worked for Griffin Police Department for 4 and a half years. Corporal Roads initiates contact with the marked vehicle. Under Georgia Code section 1611 134, carrying a weapon while under the influence of alcohol is prohibited. The question of impairment becomes central to this encounter. >> How we doing? >> Good. >> Good man. Got your driver's license with you? Where's your sidearm at? >> It's over here in the seat. >> Okay. What's your name? Mr. Welner. All right. Well, hop on back here and talk to me. Explain to you what's going on. Okay. >> All right. >> I'm Corpal Rose. I work for Z. My car for me. >> Go ahead. Right there. >> 10 on the way. Put your hands money back. All right. >> Don't do nothing stupid cuz we ain't griffing down here, brother. 95. >> What the hell you got going on? Who's your lieutenant? >> Um, well, I Kelton just called me, but I hadn't called him back yet. >> Okay. I worked for Griffin PD for 4 and a half years, man. All right. So, that's why I'm asking you, what the hell do you got going on for them to call me? call my dispatch for me to pull you over. >> And I don't know how long you've been in the game of law enforcement. >> No. A year. >> A year. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, I'm going to let you know you are in a marked car, government vehicle. Lieutenant has stopped. I don't need probable cause. Okay. >> Uh, I understand. >> Okay. What I'm going to do is I'm going to get some bigger cuffs for you so I can take them hinge ones off of you. Give me no problems. Like I like I'm explaining to you, this ain't gripping down here. I'm not giving you any problems. You got a mess, man. I know. I got black out last night. Well, here's the deal. You ain't got nothing with me. And I ain't got no problems with you. This is between you and Griffin. Where do you live at? >> Thomas, >> I was headed headed home. >> Did they send you to mandate? Griffin send you to mandate? >> Yeah. >> Damn it, man. My wallet. Those are uh earbuds. I can feel them. [ __ ] dude. I had gone up to to work. I was going I I don't know. I was trying to figure out what to do. Evidently, um I don't remember it, but evidently I like I I guess I I I was trying to get my wife's daughter to go back to bed >> and she was getting up and I was trying to keep her quiet so she wouldn't wake mom up. And um come here. I don't want nobody to see your face. >> There you go. Just leave right there. I'm listening to you. >> He listen. And I I guess I I don't really remember much of anything, but um I guess I was a little too excessive. I've been sick and I'm on like I've been taking like you know all this medicine and I guess drinking wasn't the >> Oh man, >> best thing cuz I guess it mixed with the medicine. I don't know. I cuz I don't remember much. >> And you live in Thomas? >> Yeah. >> So where did all this happen at? >> At the house last night. >> How much have you had to drink today? >> I haven't had anything. Well, I mean this I was sipping I guess what was left of the Roman Coke >> this morning, but that was like >> What time's your shift? >> Huh? >> What time is your shift? >> Oh, I'm off. So, I just threw this shirt on the cuz I was going to go up to work and um I was thinking about talking to somebody and I went up to work and just sat there and um and then I decided I was going to go home and cuz I hadn't I hadn't talked to my wife so I don't know what's going on. She went over to my mom's house and I was going to go home and call Lieutenant Kelton cuz he had called me and I was going to go and get to the house and sit down and and talk to him. So that's what I was headed home to talk to him cuz he wasn't at work but he was calling me. >> Do you know who this is in white? >> I have no idea. You good? Can I help you? Yeah. Yeah, there you are. That's why I said put your back right there. They don't need to see your face. Zone P got a Griffin Mark car or whatever and you're in handcuff. So, of course, that's going to make uh hoping they can get good Facebook coverage. I'm assuming that's why I moved you. Well, whatever happens, just know it's it's not the end of your career. Um, you made a mistake. Whatever Griffin's got going on, you know, that's between you and Griffin. I don't know why Griffin's I guess maybe. I have no idea. I really don't. >> I don't know, brother. If they got one on the way to you, it's probably going to be about 25 30 minutes. >> All right. >> So, I'm assuming you left the PD before you even talked to anybody then and then they knew you were there and then >> they Yeah, they probably I mean they, you know, they tracked the vehicles. >> Oh, yeah. I know. They put them on there when I was there due to some people. >> Well, get whatever this is behind you and keep on pushing forward, brother. But this is a career you want. >> Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know what I don't know. I don't know what's ahead of you either, but at the same time, you know, there's a process to everything. So, got to remember that. Of course, right now, from what it seems like, what's going to get you is probably policy. >> Yeah. But I've never put anybody in handcuffs on a policy before. So, I ain't trying to make your gut turn, but I've been doing this a long time. I I had pretty much cut out alcohol. But I I worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And uh had a head cold and it just made me feel like [ __ ] and um and I just was like, I need a drink. And I went and bought a bottle of rum last night, drank the whole bottle. >> Well, I can give you best piece of advice I can give you when you get done is hang that [ __ ] up. >> Yeah. And like I I >> ain't nothing wrong with drinking. you're an adult, you can do whatever you want, but if it starts affecting how you can pay your mortgage, >> that's, you know, then there's your kind of a problem. Ain't nothing against say you can't have you a drink, but got to do it responsibly. I ain't knocking you for it. Hell, I ain't even mad at you. Let's go hit this head on. Best piece of p piece of advice I can give you in this line of work is if you get bought in for some [ __ ] just tell the truth. I promise you if you done something wrong and you li and I was I investigator and you lied to me, I'm going to do whatever I can to to get you out of there. If you tell the truth and you're open and honest about it, then great. Just show that's part of your integrity. Just hit it head on. That's the only advice I can give you, man. They'll they'll appreciate the hey, I [ __ ] up more than they would, you know, you trying to >> Yeah. >> make it seem like it ain't >> understand why Griffin's coming to get me. >> I don't know. They want me to stop you. I mean, they said you may be drunk. At first, I thought they wanted me just to see. >> Yeah, >> but I mean, with you being in that marked car, I'm not going to work it. I would call trooper. >> Yeah. No. So, whatever it is is clearly internal, but I mean, you want my knowledge, training, experience, answer, you're in handcuffs for a reason. I don't know if they thought maybe you'd fight, flee, whatever. They said use caution, but I mean, I get told that a lot. It's the whole different world down here. It's gotten to where I used to drink heavy and I had stopped and uh but it's gotten to where like it don't take that much before I don't know if my liver is shot but like I I black out and I don't remember. Uh I might need to go to the doctor and get that checked brother cuz you're how old? >> 49. >> And you have any health problems? >> Have you had any? >> Not major. >> Nothing major. Well, I can tell you at age 27, I had a heart attack. Three of them. Damn. >> Yeah, I got they just rolled up. So, let me talk to him. >> Corporal Roads explains that because Welling is operating a marked government vehicle and the stop was ordered by his lieutenant. No probable cause is required. In Garcetti versus Sabios, the Supreme Court held that public employees have limited constitutional protections when acting in official capacity. Officer Welling makes critical admissions. He had been drinking alcohol mixed with medication and does not remember much of what occurred the previous night. These voluntary statements made without Miranda warnings could be used in any administrative investigation. Welling reveals he drank an entire bottle of rum the previous night, then consumed more alcohol the following morning before driving a marked patrol vehicle while armed. Corporal Roads advises him to address his drinking, noting that when it affects your ability to work, there's a problem. Roads provides key advice. Tell the truth. In law enforcement internal investigations, dishonesty often results in harsher discipline than the underlying misconduct. This raises questions whether a civilian in the same circumstances would receive the same supportive treatment. Roads explains he would not conduct a DUI investigation himself, but would call a Georgia state trooper to avoid impropriy. However, he notes no signs of impairment, no slurred speech, minimal bloodshot eyes, no confusion, and normal driving. Welling reveals he blacks out from relatively small amounts of alcohol, and questions whether his liver is damaged. This suggests a pattern of alcohol dependency that extends beyond a single incident of poor judgment. >> All right, this is what we're going to do. Um, we're going to transport him in his own car to uh count and hand him over to a detective that Are those your cuffs on him? >> Those are mine. Yeah. >> And do you smell smelling alcohol on them? >> Not not really. Um, course I ain't really got that close. I just kind of walked up the window, said, "Hey man, how you doing? You got your license?" And then uh they dispatch advis put him in handcuffs. So I said, "Hop on out, walked the front of my car, went in and cuffed him, and then uh this dude over here showed up to film." So I moved him to this side of my car with his back. Who is this? I have no idea. Someone just filming >> First Amendment people, I'm assuming. >> Well, I mean, you know, you got marked car, stopping a marked car, putting a cop in handcuffs. So, uh, but no, I haven't smelled anything. Um, and that's kind of where I was at with it. Like, I didn't know if y'all wanted me to try to work a DUI out of it or >> did you you got any probable cause for it? How was he? >> He was driving fine in the right lane, but he was in the middle of two cars going like 55. Um, of >> course, I didn't have time to really watch him as far as like his beaming and bobbing. Um, he hasn't been sir in his words at all. No third speech, eyes don't really look bloodshot. He's not really confused. He knows, you know, his whole timeline from yesterday to today. Um, so he was drinking liquor because he would had a cold and that would be the only thing to kick it, but he thinks his liver is shot because a few drinks and he's blacked out. Um, and then I said, "Well, how much have you had to drink today?" And then he, you know, said, "Oh, I just kind of sipped on what I had left from yesterday." Said he drove up to the office to kind of meet with Kelton and then ended up ended up not meeting with anybody and just got in the car and was headed home. He said he was going to sit down and try to think about it. He's got blue jeans on and a and a combat shirt. Um, his firearm's in the passenger seat. He didn't have it on him when I stopped him. I asked him where it was. He said, "It's over there." Um, I took a knife, his phone off of him. He's got his wallet still in his left back pocket and his air his AirPods and his or you know, his Bluetooth headsets in his front left pocket. Here's his license. >> Ready? >> Uh, phone and knife on the hood of my car. >> Come on, brother. >> All right. Stand right there. Just face your car. >> I haven't received this one that yet. All right. Double lock those. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Hand to the bottom for me before all that happened. What I'm wondering somebody here >> you go >> at um Who's this over here? >> Yeah, he's just filming. >> Who's this over here? >> He's just filming. He's been filming the whole time. Here you go. >> Um, >> you got the key fob stump. I don't. Yeah, you got to press the little trunk button on it. >> Yep. >> What you need me to carry? >> Enough. Make sure you don't have those for the weapons. Just this axe. That's about it. Yep. >> WHAT? I'm looking in this rigid box just to be sure. Griffin officers arrive to take custody. They inventory Welling's personal items and note his firearm. Corporal Road states he did not get close enough to definitively determine alcohol odor. The professional manner of this transfer reflects well on all officers involved. Officers prepared to transport Welling in his own vehicle to Detective Dick, an internal affairs investigator. Throughout this encounter, all officers maintained professionalism despite the awkward circumstances of detaining a fellow officer. The outcome of this case remains unknown. Possible outcomes include administrative discipline, criminal charges under Georgia code section 16, 11 134 for carrying a weapon under the influence, or assistance through an employee program. This incident represents a serious breach of professional standards and public trust. Corporal Roads receives a grade of A minus. His handling demonstrated professionalism, sound judgment, and appropriate authority. He maintained officer safety while protecting Welling's dignity, deferred to proper agencies to avoid impropriy, and provided genuine mentorship while maintaining boundaries. The minus reflects that his observation about alcohol odor could have been more thoroughly documented. Corporal Roads demonstrated that professional courtesy and proper procedure are not mutually exclusive. Officer Welling receives a grade of D plus. While he cooperated fully, his conduct represents serious violations. He admitted consuming an entire bottle of rum, blacking out, then drinking more before driving a marked vehicle while armed. Under Georgia law, carrying a weapon under the influence is prohibited. His admissions of regular blackouts suggest a pattern requiring intervention. To his credit, he made no attempt to avoid accountability and appeared genuinely troubled. However, law enforcement officers are held to higher standards. The D+ reflects his cooperation, but this represents a serious failure of professional judgment that endangered public safety. Griffin Police Department receives a grade of B. The department tracked their vehicle, identified potential impairment, and requested an outside agency detain the officer. However, questions remain about employee assistance programs and whether transport in his own vehicle represents preferential treatment. The grade reflects that immediate response was appropriate, but questions remain about prevention and equal application of standards. Let us know if there is an interaction or legal topic you would like us to discuss in the comments below. Thank you for watching and don't forget to check out our second channel, Audit the Court.