Cobb County Solicitor General Barry E. Morgan, head of the office that prosecutes all misdemeanor DUI cases for the county, was arrested in Cherokee County on Thursday for driving under the influence and failing to stay in his lane, according to a statement issued Friday afternoon.
The statement said Morgan, 66, was driving alone, in a personal vehicle and not involved in an accident.
“Like many others, Thursday night I used poor judgement and made a terrible choice to get behind the wheel of my car after having alcohol,” Morgan said in the statement. “A Cherokee County Sheriff’s deputy did his job and arrested me.”
At 11:30 p.m. Thursday, a Cherokee Sheriff’s deputy arrested Morgan after spotting a red Chevrolet Corvette heading south on I-575 and swerving out of its lane, according to a press release from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
Morgan’s blood alcohol content was .097, according to the release. Drivers are considered legally drunk in Georgia with a blood alcohol content of .08, or higher.
Morgan was released from Cherokee County jail Friday morning.
A Cobb County native, Morgan has had a long and distinguished career as a prosecutor.
From 1988-92, he served as an Assistant District Attorney prosecuting narcotics and organized crime cases in Cobb County. He became the Chief Assistant Solicitor General for Cobb State Court in 1993, and served in that capacity until 1998, according to his biography on the Cobb County website.
Gov. Zell Miller appointed Morgan as the Solicitor General for Cobb County in 1998. He has been elected to that position six times since, most recently in 2018.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving named Morgan its 2013 Prosecutor of the Year in Georgia.
“I take full responsibility for my actions and decisions, and will accept the consequences as soon as a special prosecutor is appointed,” Morgan said in the statement.
In a March 3 Facebook post, Morgan announced he would not seek an eighth term.
“All things have a date stamp,” he wrote.
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