La Follette man catches the attention of police when he triggers officer’s radar

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- While on routine patrol around 3am Thursday, La Follette Police Officer Dillon Marney’s radar unit alerted him the pick-up that just passed headed east on East Central Avenue was speeding in the 40MPH zone. That was near the La Follette Post Office.

Marney turned his cruiser around and went east after the red Chevrolet pulling it over at Sharp Ridge Road, across from the DeRoyal plant. The officer asked Brandon McGhee, the driver of the truck , for his driver’s license, insurance and proof of insurance. Marney smelled a very strong odor of alcoholic beverages coming from McGhee and noticed that McGhee allegedly had bloodshot, glassy eyes and dilated pupils, according the report from the La Follette Police Department.

When Marney asked McGhee how much he’d had to drink, McGhee allegedly stated he had two alcoholic beverages. A check of McGhee’s driver’s license came back from dispatch that his license was suspended for a failure to appear and a failure to file insurance.

McGhee consented to field sobriety testing. Marney stated in his report that McGhee performed poorly on three of the tests.

Marney read the Miranda Warning to McGhee, and McGhee did not wish to answer any questions. That prompted the officer to not ask any more questions about McGhee’s charges.

McGhee did consent and signed to a blood sample after Marney read the Tennessee Blood and/or Breath Consent Advisement to McGhee.

During the tow inventory of McGhee’s pick-up truck, behind the passenger seat, LPD Lieutenant Shane Tielman located inside a grocery bag two 16 ounce empty 5% alcohol/volume per12 fluid ounce Budweiser alcoholic beverages. The cans still had condensation on the them, according to the report.

McGhee was placed into custody and transported to the La Follette Medical Center for blood samples. While waiting for the nurse to collect a blood sample, McGhee began stating, “Can I just go ahead and plead guilty to this DUI and get this over with?”, based on the report for LPD.

The 31-year old McGhee of 330 Cowan Lane-La Follette, was transported to the Campbell County Jail and charged with DUI, speeding, reckless driving, and driving with license suspended/revoked. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-07/28/2025-6AM)

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