Georgia state rep Tom Taylor charged with speeding while DUI with four children in the car

A Georgia state representative has been charged with speeding while driving under the influence with four young passengers on board.

Dunwoody Republican Tom Taylor was arrested on April 7 in Rabun County with a blood-alcohol content of .225 - nearly three times the legal limit - after he was pulled over for speeding.

Dashcam footage has now been released of the moment the 54-year-old was stopped around 2.45 p.m. for driving 72 miles per hour in an area with a speed limit of 45.

Four exchange students were in Taylor's SUV at the time of his arrest and he had a gun in a holster on his hip.

The gun was legally registered, according to the police report obtained by The Atlanta Joual-Constitution.

The passengers were not identified in the report. However, they are all believed to be 16-years-old. 

Taylor, a Dunwoody Republican, was elected in 2010. He has one primary challenger in May. 

 

'Have you been drinking?': Video has emerged of the moment Tom Taylor was pulled over for speeding, before the officer realized he was under the influence 

 

Dunwoody Republican Tom Taylor was arrested on April 7 in Rabun County with a blood-alcohol content of .225 - nearly three times the legal limit - after he was pulled over for speeding

 

Four exchange students were in Taylor's SUV at the time of his arrest and he had a gun in a holster on his hip

 

According to a police report, the arresting officer said he 'could smell an overwhelming odor of alcohol while speaking with Mr. Taylor'

After he refused to comply with instructions for a field sobriety test, he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, possession of an open container of alcohol and speeding. 

In the video of Taylor's arrest, taken on the dash cam of the police cruiser, the officer discovers Taylor is a state representative and tells him he was pulled over for speeding.

The officer also takes Taylor's gun before interviewing him further. He asks Taylor whether he has been drinking.

'Be honest with me, because I smell alcohol all over you,' the officer can be heard saying in the video.

Taylor denies drinking, but says that he was drinking 'probably a lot' the night before. 

'I had some wine last night. Nothing today,' he said.

Taylor's blood alcohol reading was the equivalent to 11 or 12 drinks in an hour, or even more over a longer period, according to AJC.

It was reported that an empty water bottle smelling of booze was found in the car.

Tom Owens, a former candidate for DeKalb County Commission who is going up against Taylor on Mary 24, 

'He is unfit to hold the office of Georgia state representative,' Owens said in a press release.