Bibb County Superior Court Judge Howard Simms will face no charges in connection with an alleged drunk driving incident on Sept. 22.

Bibb County Sheriff Jerry Modena told The Telegraph of Macon that charges against Simms would likely not hold up in court because deputies did not follow proper procedure in collecting evidence.

Simms was stopped on Lamar Road north of Macon during Operation Rolling Thunder, a multi-agency traffic enforcement effort. A deputy from a neighboring county smelled alcohol on Simms' breath and referred the matter to the local Bibb County deputies, in keeping with standard law enforcement practice.

According to the Sheriff's internal investigation, a Bibb deputy administered a breathalyzer test that indicated Simms had a blood alcohol level just above the legal limit.

Bibb County Captain Alden Washington and Sergeant Bruce Jordan decided between them to let the judge go rather than administer additional field sobriety tests as per standard procedure, the investigation found.

Both Washington and Jordan face numerous sanctions for their actions, including unpaid suspension.

Tags: DUI, drunk driving, Jerry Modena, Adam Ragusea, Howard Simmis