Ex-councilman charged with DUI
A former Fort Oglethorpe city councilman was arrested on several traffic charges last week after he allegedly crashed into another vehicle at McDonald’s while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, police say.
According to the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department:
Richard Gary Egeland, 62, of 1937 Barrett Drive in Fort Oglethorpe was arrested Tuesday, April 14, on charges of DUI, failure to obey police officers, failure to report an accident, reckless driving, and no driver’s license.
Egeland served on the Fort Oglethorpe city council from 2004-08
The incident occurred just after 8 p.m., when officers were dispatched to the McDonald’s at 1179 Battlefield Parkway regarding a two-car accident.
When Sgt. Greg Wingo arrived at the scene, he located the vehicle that supposedly caused the wreck.
“Upon my arrival, I saw a blue Ford Mustang parked at the front of the driverthru line waiting on an order,” Wingo said. “I saw witnesses pointing to the vehicle.”
Witnesses stated the Mustang had struck another vehicle and gotten stuck under the vehicle’s bumper before peeling out to dislodge the two vehicles, reports show.
Wingo then attempted to talk to Egeland in his Mustang, a process that took awhile.
“I told him to put the vehicle in park and turn the engine off, but he did not respond,” Wingo said. “I yelled at him to place the vehicle in park and turn the engine off, and he fell over face first into the steering wheel, and then raised up and said ‘what’.”
Egeland then rolled his car forward and nearly hit another vehicle, reports show.
Wingo says he repeatedly had to try to get Egeland to stop the car and get out of it.
“I had to tell him several times….he had difficulty understanding simple instructions,” Wingo said.
Once Egeland finally exited the car, he stated he didn’t have his driver’s license with him.
Egeland also had a difficult time staying up on his feet during questioning.
“He was unsteady on his feet, and he had to hold himself up by holding onto his car,” Wingo said. “I asked him how much alcohol he’d had to drink, and he stated he’d had a couple of beers an hour earlier, and that he’d taken Ambien with his beer.”
Egeland attempted to participate in field sobriety tests.
“During the onelegged stand, he held his left foot up for the count of two, put it down, and then fell backwards into the mulch in front of McDonalds,” Wingo explained. “I helped him up and told him there was a second test to perform. He started the second test, and then said he was done and didn’t want to do anymore testing.”
After placing Egeland under arrest and transporting him to the Catoosa County jail, the jail’s booking sergeant said his vital signs were too low to be accepted into the jail, and stated he needed to be taken to the hospital for evaluation.
After evaluation at Hutcheson Medical Center, Egeland was released from custody on his own recognizance due to his medical condition, but was given copies off the citations regarding his charges.
A few hours later, officers received a call of a burglary in progress, which actually turned out to be Egeland trying to break into his own house.
“The neighbors reported it,” Wingo said. “He didn’t have a key to his house and was using a golf club to try to break his windows.”
Egeland was unable to make entry into the home and eventually wound up sleeping off the evening on his porch. He used a porch swing cushion as a pillow and his doormat as a blanket.