GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A grand jury will investigate an incident caught on a police dashboard camera. It involves a former police officer and a woman charged with drunk driving. The officer lost his job with Duluth and was charged with simple battery because of the way he made the arrest, but his attorney said he did right thing. The officer’s attorney said his client has a spotless record and looks forward to the decision that will ultimately be made by a grand jury. Dashcam video shows what happened on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard between Flathmann and the driver, Pollyanna Olivieria, who was charged with DUI. The video shows the officer yelling at the passenger of the vehicle to, “Get out of the car now,” before trying to pull her out of her car. The video shows the woman crying and saying, “No.” “If he had allowed her to hit that highway, she was going to be a danger, not only to herself, but to other motorists on that highway,” said Flathmann’s attorney Mike Puglise. According to a police report, Flathmann noticed the driver asleep inside a vehicle on the side of the road. The gear selector was in D2 and the car began to roll forward. Flathmann resigned from the Duluth Police Department before he was fired. He was charged with simple battery and violation of oath of an officer. “The district attorney is going to turn it over to the grand jury and allow the grand jury to make the decision based on the evidence as to whether or not there should be any action taken against the officer,” said Chief Randy Belcher with the Duluth Police Department. A date has been set for the case to go before the grand jury next month. Flathmann is now an officer with the Pendergrass Police Department. Channel 2 was not able to reach Olivieria.
