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911 dispatcher fired after DUI

Police said they noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from Ricketts, and that she was unsteady on her feet and was unable to tell police what happened.
Laura (Beth) Ricketts (Image Athens Clarke-County Police)

A 911 dispatcher in Athens has been fired after she was arrested for DUI.

Laura (Beth) Ricketts was arrested on Nov. 11 after, police said, she ran a red light, hit one vehicle, left the scene and then struck another. Police found Ricketts in her passenger seat, but the drivers of the other vehicles told police that Ricketts was the only person in her vehicle at the time of the crashes.

Police said they noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from Ricketts, and that she was unsteady on her feet and was unable to tell police what happened.

In an officer's body cam video, Ricketts admitted she had been drinking, and that she was in her car, but had no idea who was driving it.

Ricketts was hired by the Athens-Clarke County police department as a communication officer in October 2016.

The crashes happened near the intersection of Hull and Broad streets.

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