License Suspension Over Unfamiliar DUI Charge
Justin Jones, a high school administrator from Carroll County, received unexpected news in early October when a letter arrived stating his driver's license had been suspended. The notification cited a DUI charge in Santa Fe, New Mexico, dated December 24, 2005.
"I received a letter in the mail, the beginning of October, that my license was suspended. That was a surprise," Justin Jones told Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray.
Disputed Location and Documentation Efforts
Jones immediately disputed the charge, explaining he had never been to New Mexico. "Never been to New Mexico, never driven through New Mexico. I've never even stepped foot in the state off a plane," Jones said.
He visited the Georgia Department of Driver Services to resolve the issue but was instructed to provide proof that the DUI charge did not belong to him. Jones obtained a stamped and sealed document from the New Mexico court clerk confirming he had no convictions there, along with a letter from the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department.
Resolution and Department Response
Despite submitting this documentation, Jones remained without his license for months. The situation was finally resolved on Thursday when the DDS provided an update.
The department announced it had reinstated Jones' driver's license and is reviewing procedures for team members handling similar situations. In a statement, DDS explained: "The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) has reached out to the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (NMMVD) on numerous occasions requesting confirmation that the suspension they transmitted to our agency was incorrect. Today, DDS was informed that the required release had been erroneously transmitted from NMMVD to another state instead of the Georgia DDS. After receiving the needed documentation, DDS promptly corrected the customer's record, immediately contacted the customer to apologize, and inform him of next steps. We sincerely apologize for the difficulty that the customer has had and will be reviewing the procedures that our Team Members follow when this situation arises at a Customer Service Center (CSC)."
