Charges against Gwinnett chairman dropped

ATLANTA — Charges against Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister, who was arrested for DUI Monday, were dismissed today after a blood test returned negative results, according to published reports.

Bannister was driving a county-owned car when he was arrested at about 8 p.m. on Monday by a Gwinnett County sheriff’s deputy; he was booked into the county jail on two charges – DUI and improper turning, jail records indicate. According to reports, the deputy responded to a tip that Bannister had a number of beers at a Lilburn restaurant.

“I want to extend my apology, personally, to Chairman Bannister, his wife and family for this entire incident,” the Gwinnett Daily Post quoted Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway as saying. “At this point, I feel the deputies probably relied on eyewitness statements to too great an extent.”