Sheriff Starts Drinking Four Loko At 6 A.M And Then Goes To Work Because He Is No Quitter

What is it with cops and drunk driving? Cops who expect to be let off the hook for driving drunk, cops who keep their jobs after drunk driving to the shooting range, even cops who kill dogs while drunk-driving home from their secret cop-only bar. Now, Georgia has given us another variant: A sheriff arrested for DUI after allegedly knocking back Four Lokos at 6 a.m. 

Local news channel WSB-TV caught the story, in which Georgia's Hall County Sheriff was arrested for drunk-driving his "county SUV" while allegedly under the influence of Four Loko. The deputies that caught the sheriff were in the area already in order to revoke his SUV privileges, taking back the county car due to the sheriff's prior drinking issues. It seems the top cop wanted one last cruise, however, and decided that he needed the combined stimulant and depressant of every frat bro's favorite beverage to start his day.

Alcoholism and addiction are, of course, complex issues. Given that the Georgia deputies were aware enough of the sheriff's issues with alcohol to try and claw back his Tahoe, it seems that this goes further than your average cop slamming a few too many shots and trying to make his way home from the bar. Still, while addicts deserve treatment that can genuinely help both their addictions and the underlying issues that cause them, it doesn't mean that they necessarily deserve to be sheriffs — especially if their decision-making is so impaired as to think drunk-driving a Tahoe is perfectly fine behavior. 

Local residents are torn as to whether the sheriff should step down from his post, according to WSB-TV, but it sure sounds like he shouldn't be in a position that has qualified immunity. If you want the power over others that comes with a badge, it doesn't seem unreasonable to prove that you're capable of making good choices with it — and Four Loko at six in the morning is certainly not a good decision.