Buford mother arrested for DUI and child endangerment after high-speed chase on I-85

Yahoo

17-05-2025

The Brief
Nyriah Nichelle Jones is charged with DUI and endangering the lives of two children after deputies clocked her at over 100 miles per hour on I-85, while she was suspected of drunk driving.
Deputies say they also discovered a nearly empty bottle of tequila on the front passenger floorboard.
Deputies report that Jones was belligerent, cursing about being pulled over, and was reluctant to tell them anything about the children in her backseat.
COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - A Buford mother is facing serious charges after deputies say she was clocked speeding at over 100 miles per hour on Interstate 85 in Coweta County with two children in her car.
What we know
Coweta County deputies say after clocking the woman at over 109 miles per hour on Interstate 85, they found three things in her car: a six-year-old, an eight-year-old, and a nearly empty bottle of tequila.
The deputy who tried to pull over the Lexus speeding at 100 miles per hour reported the car was weaving from lane to lane and nearly rear-ended a tractor-trailer.
They later identified the driver as Nyriah Nichelle Jones, 28, from Buford.
Dig deeper
The deputy said when her blue lights came on, Jones did not pull over. Instead, she hit the gas as if to make a getaway. Deputies say her driving became even more reckless. Eventually, they say she pulled over on the side of the road.
At gunpoint in a felony car stop, she was ordered out of the car. Deputies say they could see other people in the car. They say Jones refused to say who else was in the car. When a deputy tried to question Jones while handcuffed in the back of a patrol car, he reported that she kicked him in the face. They say she was cursing and physically abusive toward other deputies who pulled her over. Later at the jail, they reported further incidents.
What they're saying
They say when they approached the car, they discovered there were two children inside. The sheriff's office says the six-year-old was Jones's child. The eight-year-old belonged to Jones's friend. Deputies say they later released both children to the friend.
Deputies also say they found a nearly empty bottle of tequila in the car and multiple deputies reported smelling alcohol on Jones's breath.
What's next
They say they charged her with DUI, two counts of endangering a child while DUI, fleeing and attempting to elude, speeding, obstruction, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving, and expired registration.
At last word, a judge refused to give her bond, and she remains locked up in the Coweta County Jail.
The Source
FOX 5's Doug Evans spoke with investigators from the Coweta County Sheriff's Office for this article.