A Madison woman was arrested on multiple charges on Nov. 25 after she fled from a traffic stop while waiting to drop off a student at Lake Oconee Academy.
Brittany Nicole Caufield now faces charges of driving while license suspended, failure to obey authorized personnel directing traffic, no insurance, obstruction or hindering law enforcement officers, reckless driving, and suspended registration.
According to reports, Sgt. Brandi Wilson of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office had heard complaints from LOA staff, including two teachers and a nurse, regarding a specific vehicle emitting a strong smell of marijuana.
Wilson was on duty as the school resource officer at LOA on Nov. 7 when she made contact with Caulfield in the car line regarding the complaints. At that time, Caufield admitted she had smoked marijuana earlier in the day but stated there was no marijuana inside the vehicle.
According to the report, Caufield apologized repeatedly for not using her “spray” to cover the odor and stated she was attempting to quit smoking and improve her situation.
That situation got worse on the morning of Nov. 20 when Wilson again detected the odor of marijuana coming from Caulfield’s vehicle as it travelled along Titan Circle.
Based on the prior complaints, Caufield’s earlier admission, and the odor observed at the scene, Wilson initiated a traffic stop.
Caufield pulled to the right side of the car line, but when Wilson approached the driver’s side window and directed Caufield to place the vehicle in park and step out of the car, Caufield refused.
Wilson said she issued several lawful verbal commands for Caulfield to step out, but she continued to refuse.
She then shifted the vehicle into drive and fled the traffic stop.
“While fleeing, Caufield drove around the traffic flow pattern, traveling the wrong way around the directional island,” according to Wilson’s account of the incident. “This maneuver forced other vehicles to stop and created a hazardous condition for pedestrians and students in the area.”
Caulfield was later arrested on Nov. 25.