Police: Drivers Jeffrey Deese, Travis Deal arrested on first day of job for drugs

DUNWOODY, Ga. -- Two professional designated drivers are out of work after Dunwoody police said they arrested them for drug possession while they were on their way to pick up a customer.

Police said 18-year-old Jeffrey Deese and 24-year-old Travis Deal were in Dunwoody to pick up a customer from a restaurant early Sunday moing. But when they arrived on Ravinia Drive, the call was canceled, so they tued around and headed to another call.

But an officer said he spotted the two men driving on the wrong side of the road at the intersection of Ravinia and Ashford-Dunwoody Road, so he stopped them. Police said a subsequent search of the car revealed a freshly rolled marijuana cigarette. Police said both men were taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor possession.

"I was shocked," Designated Driver Alteative owner Bill Slagle told Channel 2o's Richard Elliot. "And I just thought, how stupid."

Slagle runs the eight-month old nonprofit business out of his Marietta apartment. He told Elliot he just hired the two men after they passed their background checks and came with a reference. Saturday night/Sunday moing was their first day on the job.

"Everything was clean on these guys," said Slagle. "They had no tickets, no accidents, no criminal history at all."

Slagle fired both men after he got news of the arrests. He hopes the actions of two now ex-employees won't taish the good work he said his company tries to do.

"Stupid, stupid mistake," said Slagle. "Young kids sometimes do stupid things and these two I'm hoping have leaed a lesson."