STATESBORO — The Nighthawks DUI Task Force South conducted three road checks throughout Statesboro on Wednesday, Jan. 15, resulting in 14 people going to jail for DUI.

Of those 14 arrested for DUI, 10 were alcohol related and four were drug related, according to Sgt. J.K. Crews with the Georgia State Patrol.

Of the 10 alcohol related DUI arrests, four of them were under the age of 21. Of the four drug related DUI arrests, three were under the age of 21. Out of the 14 people arrested that night, no one was above the age of 22, according to Crews.

The road checks were on Lanier Drive, Cypress Lake Road and Robin Hood Trail, according to Crews. All of these roads closely border the Georgia Southern University campus.

Crews is in charge of the Nighthawks DUI Task Force South and said that 14 DUIs in a single night in Bulloch County is a large number compared to normal.

“Our normal night here is more of a five to ten range [in DUI arrests],” Crews said.

Weekdays are normally when the Nighthawks are in Statesboro because many college students go home over the weekend. The Nighthawks come to Statesboro around two to three times a month, according to Crews.

There are more people, events and bars in Savannah but as graduation and football games approach, the Nighthawks will most likely be busier in Statesboro, Crews said.

Crews has been with the Nighthawks Task Force South since they started in 2009 and has noticed a decline in the amount of DUIs in the area because of their work.

The Nighthawks Task Force is a grant funded Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic team with the mission to patrol areas during peak DUI times, as well as check drivers for speeding, distracted driving, seatbelts and more.

Sarah Smith, The George-Anne Managing News Editor, gaeditor@georgiasouthern.edu