Child Advocate's Husband Arrested On DUI, Hit And Run Charges: Reports

BARTOW COUNTY, GA — Authorities recently arrested Jason Broce, the husband of the Department of Family and Children Services director, after he was accused in a DUI hit-and-run crash with two children in the vehicle, media reports said Tuesday.

Jason Broce, the head of a lobbying firm, was arrested around 5 p.m. on Oct. 16 during a traffic stop on GA-3 near Cedar Creek Road in Bartow County, both WANF and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

He was suspected of driving a white Ford F-150 that had been involved in a two-vehicle crash near Felton Road, where he was accused of fleeing the scene.

Before the stop, state troopers noticed Jason Broce's Ford weaving and crossing road lines; and when the troopers conducted the stop at a gas station, the vehicle was reversed and nearly hit a patrol car, WANF-reported, citing Georgia State Patrol documents.

The trooper detected the smell of alcohol on Jason Broce's breath and said he had "bloodshot, watery eyes and slurred speech," the AJC reported, citing an incident report.

Jason Broce denied being in an accident, though his Ford had front damage. Reports said he had a blood alcohol level of 0.333, four times more than the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

His "unsteadiness" and other mannerisms prevented some field sobriety tests from being conducted, such as the one-leg stand and the walk and turn, state police said, per WANF.

At the time, a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old, were in the backseat of the Ford, the AJC reported.

He was arrested on charges of hit and run, driving under the influence and child endangerment, reports say.

His wife, Candice Broce, heads DFCS, which includes programs that combat child abuse and neglect.

“Professionally, I pour my heart and soul into serving others and aiming to always do what’s right,” Candice Broce said in a statement to WANF-TV. “I would never expect nor ask to be treated differently than anyone else in these circumstances.”

Gov. Brian Kemp's office, which appointed Candice Broce in 2021, declined to comment on the matter.