Hall County sheriff's suspension extended after new arrest

HALL COUNTY, Ga. - Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch's suspension has been extended by a month, per an order issued by Gov. Brian Kemp.

What we know:

The new order was issued on Friday and follows a second arrest in Dawson County for Couch. In that case, he faces charges of driving outside the conditions of his limited permit and failure to maintain a lane.

The backstory:

The suspension originally began on March 17 after Kemp tasked a committee to investigate the sheriff following DUI accusations 10 days earlier. That investigation started after Couch was pulled over by one of his own deputies on Feb. 27 and charged with driving under the influence, failure to maintain a lane, and possession of an open container. According to arrest records, his blood alcohol level during that incident was 0.212%, well above the state's legal limit of 0.08%.

What they're saying:

Couch's attorney told FOX 5 that the suspended sheriff has been sober since his arrest in February and that he was not informed of the restrictions on his license. However, the Department of Driver Services said that is not true and that Couch was given a card explaining those restrictions.

What's next:

The suspension was originally set to expire on May 17 but will now last until June 17.

In Georgia, the governor is the only official who can suspend or remove a sheriff from office. Recently, Kemp suspended the Towns County Sheriff after he detained a city officer at a crime scene. That sheriff has since been indicted. 

What we don't know:

It remains unclear if the committee's investigation is complete or what steps could come next.