Brooks County judge arrested

Published 9:33 pm Tuesday, December 13, 2016

VALDOSTA — A Brooks County judge was arrested Monday in Lowndes County and charged with driving under the influence, according to Georgia State Patrol reports released Tuesday evening.

At 6:34 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12, the state patrol dispatched a trooper to a two-vehicle accident on Shiloh Road near Amber Drive, according to reports.

The driver of one vehicle, a 2013 Infiniti heading east on Shiloh Road, was preparing to turn left onto Amber Drive, while the driver of the other vehicle, a Passat Komfort, was eastbound directly behind that car, the report said.

The driver of the Komfort said she looked away momentarily and did not see the Infiniti slowing down in front of her, and the Komfort struck the Infiniti from behind, according to the state patrol.

William R. Folsom, 68, of Valdosta is charged with driving under the influence, according to the state patrol report.

Troopers confirmed he is the same William Folsom who serves as a state court judge in Brooks County.

He reportedly advised the arresting trooper he had taken two medications for anxiety and depression that day, the state patrol report says. An alcosensor showed he tested positive for alcohol, according to the report. He was cooperative during the investigation, according to the patrol.

Folsom was taken to the Lowndes County Jail, according to the state patrol. Capt. Stryde Jones of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office said he was released on bond.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.