A 27-year-old Marietta woman is facing a battery charge against a police officer after allegedly trying to bite an officer and kicking him during a DUI arrest along Cobb Parkway in Kennesaw. Police say Hanleigh Deette Fossett also allegedly tried to bite and kick the officer during the August 15 stop.
According to the Marietta Daily Journal, officers stopped Fossett's black Jeep Grand Cherokee near Cobb Parkway and Ellison Lakes Drive around 10:30 p.m. The stop resulted in a following-too-closely charge and also turned up a nonoperational side brake light on her vehicle, according to the same report.
Once officers approached, they reported that Fossett displayed bloodshot, watery eyes and slurred speech, and that field sobriety testing determined she was unsafe to drive. Under Georgia's so-called “DUI Less Safe” statute, prosecutors can pursue a conviction without chemical proof of blood alcohol concentration if officers document impairment through observations like these, according to Grisham and Poole Law. The report also noted that Fossett was driving without a valid Georgia driver's license.
Struggle Erupts During Arrest
The situation escalated, per the Marietta Daily Journal's report, during the arrest. Fossett allegedly tried to bite and kick the officer.
That kind of physical interference carries legal weight beyond the DUI charge itself. Under Georgia Code § 40-5-67.1, a driver who refuses a state-administered chemical test may face a minimum one-year administrative license suspension through the state's Department of Driver Services, according to attorney J. Ryan Brown — a penalty that runs independently of whatever happens in criminal court.
Battery Charge Adds to Legal Exposure
Fossett was charged with battery against a police officer, along with DUI-less safe, driving without a valid license, driving with a defective brake light, and following too closely. Georgia law treats simple battery against an on-duty officer more severely than an ordinary battery charge: under Georgia Code § 16-5-23(e), the offense becomes a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, according to WomensLaw.org.
Georgia law separately addresses open alcoholic beverage containers in a vehicle's passenger area. Georgia Code § 40-6-253 makes possessing open alcoholic beverage containers in a vehicle's passenger area a misdemeanor punishable by fines up to $200 and two demerit points on a driver's license, according to Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer.
The Marietta Daily Journal report referenced the Cobb County Adult Detention Center and jail records. Multi-charge arrests involving battery on an officer can require magistrate court review to set bond rather than relying on the county's preset misdemeanor schedule, according to A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds. Jail records show this was not Fossett's first booking at the same facility — she was previously booked into the Cobb County Jail on December 19, 2025, according to The Georgia Gazette.
Cobb County Road Case
The Kennesaw arrest involved a DUI allegation and traffic violations in Cobb County.
Specialized DUI task forces like the GSP Nighthawks patrol several counties during peak DUI hours and are trained in impaired-driving enforcement.
It remains unclear whether Fossett ultimately underwent a state-administered chemical test after her arrest, or whether prosecutors will pursue the battery charge as a high and aggravated misdemeanor as it stands or seek to elevate it further during formal prosecution. Her prior December 2025 booking in Cobb County could also factor into how the case proceeds, though the Marietta Daily Journal's report did not detail the outcome of that earlier arrest.
