Suspended Hall County Sheriff arrested on new traffic violations

DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. - The suspended Hall County Sheriff, Gerald Couch, was arrested Monday for a second driving offense this year, according to the Dawson County Sheriff's Office.

What we know:

Couch, 63, of Gainesville, was pulled over on Georgia 400 after a Dawson County Sheriff's deputy noticed him swerving outside his lane. During the traffic stop, officials said the deputy learned Couch was driving on a limited driving permit and was violating those conditions.

The deputy arrested Couch for driving outside the conditions of his limited permit and failure to maintain a lane. He was booked into the Dawson County Jail and later bonded out, according to sheriff's officials.

The backstory:

Couch was previously arrested 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 legal limit of 0.08%.

Following that arrest, Gov. Brian Kemp suspended Couch on March 17. That suspension is currently set to last until May 17. 

What we don't know:

It remains unclear whether Couch will be removed from his position permanently following this latest incident.