The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe into an officer-involved shooting Tuesday, June 29 in Cornelia. According to GBI spokesperson Nelly Miles, a Cornelia police officer shot at a suspect’s car tire as she tried to drive away after being placed under arrest for alleged DUI.
The early investigation shows that the incident began around 9:43 p.m. after 911 received a call about a possible DUI driver. Emergency dispatch issued an alert to be on the lookout. When the suspect driver stopped at the Cornelia Fire Department to ask for directions, the firefighters realized she fit the person’s description in the BOLO.
The driver, later identified as Ashly Sophia Tolbert, 38, of Dawsonville, had an infant in the car, says Miles. Cornelia Police officers responded to the fire station on South Main Street, where an officer conducted a field sobriety test.
“The officer told Tolbert she was under arrest for DUI,” Miles says. “Tolbert drove away in her car. While Tolbert was in the process of driving away, a Cornelia Police officer fired a shot at her car’s tire.”
Tolbert led police on a chase south on Willingham Avenue in her 2005 Mercury Mariner. During the chase, she rear-ended a Toyota Corolla driven by 39-year-old Maria Morales of Baldwin. After the crash, Tolbert kept fleeing, but the wreck disabled her vehicle, and she was eventually taken into custody at Habersham Village, arrest records show.
No one was injured during the shooting or chase, officials say.
Cornelia Police Chief Chad Smith says the officer who opened fire has been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, which is standard procedure. Authorities have not released the officer’s name.
Police booked Tolbert into the Habersham County Detention Center on a felony aggravated assault charge. The Georgia State Patrol charged her with DUI, child endangerment, hit and run, and reckless driving. On Wednesday afternoon, June 30, she was still in jail, and no bond had been set.
The Department of Family and Children Services took custody of the child.
The Cornelia Police Department requested the GBI to investigate as is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings. Miles says once agents complete their investigation, they will turn over the case to the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s office for review.
