A 59-year-old man arrested in connection with a serious injury traffic crash last week has a history of multiple prior DUI arrests, according to records provided by the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office.
Billy Joe Dooley, 59, was arrested on January 23, 2026, following a traffic crash that resulted in serious injuries. Dooley was taken into custody by the Georgia State Patrol and later booked into the Chattooga County Jail at approximately 10:09 p.m. that evening.
Jail records list the following charges against Dooley: DUI (Drugs / Less Safe), failure to stop at a stop sign, reckless driving, and serious injury by vehicle. At the time of booking, no bond had been listed.
In addition to the current charges, records obtained by AllOnGeorgia show Dooley has been arrested multiple times in the past on DUI-related offenses in Chattooga County. According to those records, Dooley was arrested on December 31, 2024, on charges of DUI, failure to maintain lane, open container, and other traffic offenses. On February 8, 2024, he was arrested for hit and run, failure to report an accident, false report of a crime, and willful obstruction of law enforcement. Additional arrests include a DUI on June 14, 2020, a DUI and following too closely on December 18, 2016, and an open container and DUI arrest on April 8, 2016.
The Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office stated that no citations for DUI or driving without a valid license were found in its records management system beyond those listed. Officials also reported they found no records indicating that Dooley’s driver’s license had been suspended, revoked, or otherwise restricted in their system.
All charges represent accusations only. Dooley is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.