Stacey Abrams running mate Charlie Bailey charged with DUI in 2011
Bailey pled down to reckless driving and was sentenced to 12 months probation
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FIRST ON FOX: Stacey Abrams' running mate for Georgia lieutenant governor, Charlie Bailey, was charged with a DUI in 2011.
Bailey, who ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in 2018, was arrested in Atlanta on May 5, 2011, after he was pulled over for a broken tail light and the officer "detected a very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from within the passenger compartment" of the car, according to the incident report.
"I asked Bailey how much he had to drink, and he stated he had consumed one beer and he was giving his friend, Kelly Christian, a ride home," the arresting officer wrote. "Bailey then became visibly nervous, to the point I could see his hands shaking as he handed me his license. I also observed Bailey’s eyes to be watery in appearance."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bailey refused to complete any field sobriety evaluations or submit to a portable breath test, according to the report. He was charged with a DUI.
Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Charlie Bailey speaks ahead of Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, to supporters and members of the Rabun County Democrats group on July 28, 2022 in Clayton, Georgia. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Bailey later pled down to reckless driving, resulting in 12 months of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $1,400 fine, according to court documents.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bailey was also ordered to submit an alcohol and drug analysis, attend a DUI "risk reduction" course and participate in a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Victim Impact Panel.
Bailey’s arrest has not been previously reported.
Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), center, poses for a photo with supporters as well as U.S. Congresswoman Lucy McBath, second from right, and Georgia Democtratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Charlie Bailey, right, at a Labor Day picnic on September 5, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
STACEY ABRAMS SERVES AS BOARD MEMBER, GOVERNOR OF FOUNDATION THAT SUPPORTS #ABOLISHTHEPOLICE
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Abrams, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Georgia, endorsed Bailey’s candidacy before the June Democratic primary.
"I’m so proud to endorse my friend, Charlie Bailey, to be the next lieutenant governor for the great state of Georgia," Abrams said in a video at the time.
"I am proud to be Leader @staceyabrams’ chosen running mate," Bailey tweeted. "Stacey is leading the fight to build One Georgia-where every person has the opportunity to build a better life for their kids than they had."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During the Democratic lieutenant governor primary debate in May, Bailey declared that his "first job" in the role would be to act as a "right-hand man to a Governor Abrams." Asked during the runoff debate in June whether there were any policy areas he differed with Abrams on, Bailey said, "None that I can think of."
"I don’t know that there is one," he said, laughing. "Certainly, if there is one out there, I don’t know what it is."
Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks to supporters and members of the Rabun County Democrats group on July 28, 2022 in Clayton, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Abrams’ bid against Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is heating up as crime and policing becomes the focal point ahead of the November election. Abrams is involved with multiple left-wing groups and individuals that support abolition and other anti-police causes, despite her repeated denials that she supports defunding the police.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bailey formerly served as the Senior Assistant District Attorney of Fulton County and has boasted about his efforts to put gang members behind bars. During his tenure, however, gang recruitment in metro Atlanta ballooned to an all-time high, local media reported in November 2016.
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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Abrams campaign spokesman Alex Floyd pointed to Burt Jones, the state's Trump-endorsed Republican lieutenant gubernatorial nominee, who was one of a handful of state senators in Georgia stripped of a committee post over his talk of election fraud.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Unlike Charlie Bailey, Burt Jones has been the subject of a criminal probe into election fraud as a result of his efforts to subvert democracy and overturn the 2020 election," Floyd said. "Charlie Bailey has a track record of presenting cases to grand juries — Burt Jones has a record of being subpoenaed to appear before them."
Bailey campaign spokesman Jake Orvis also mentioned Jones in a statement provided to Fox News Digital after publication.
"Only one candidate for Lieutenant Governor (Burt Jones) has preemptively agreed to an FBI interview for his attempt to overthrow the United States Government," Orvis said. "Burt Jones is desperate to distract voters from the numerous investigations into his failed attempted coup."