Georgia mayor charged with impersonating police and DUI

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Tuesday, February 2, 2016
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JACKSONVILLE, GA -- The mayor of a tiny Georgia town has been jailed on criminal charges after sheriff's deputies pulled him over for driving a police cruiser.

John Dopson is the mayor of Jacksonville, Georgia, a town of about 140 residents located 90 miles southeast of Macon. Dopson was being held Tuesday at the Telfair County jail on charges of impersonating an officer and driving under the influence.

Sheriff Chris Steverson said Dopson was arrested Monday after residents complained they often saw him driving a police car.

Steverson says the mayor told deputies he had "weed" in his system after he refused a blood and urine test.

A woman answering the phone at Jacksonville City Hall referred a reporter to an attorney, David Venable. He did not immediately return a phone call Tuesday.