An investigation by WSB-TV has found that hundreds of Georgians arrested for DUI in 2025 were later proven sober by GBI blood tests.
Through an open records request, Channel 2 obtained data showing that 701 people tested by the GBI had no illegal or prescription drugs found in their systems during toxicology screenings. In suspected DUI cases, the GBI tests samples for drugs only if the subject is found to be under the legal limit for alcohol.
Smyrna resident Lenny Daniel is one of those cases. The 65-year-old widower was arrested and charged with DUI by Kennesaw police after blowing 0.000 on the breathalyzer. The arresting officer suspected drug impairment based on a field sobriety test.
In another case, 19-year-old college student McClain Fineran, a kicker on the Shorter University football team, was charged with DUI by Rome police after also blowing 0.000 on a breathalyzer. He had called police himself to report that he hit a parked car.
The investigation raises questions about the reliability of field sobriety tests and the consequences faced by people who are arrested, booked, and charged despite no evidence of impairment. Both Daniel and Fineran maintain they were completely sober at the time of their arrests.
