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Judge orders 14 days in jail for Ricardo Cortez Woodford after new DUI arrest, admonishes repeat offenders
Summary
Judge Tammy Long Hayward kept Ricardo Cortez Woodford in custody for the 14 days remaining on a prior probation sentence after the defendant was arrested on new DUI-related charges; the judge warned about the deadly consequences of repeat impaired driving and urged treatment.
Judge Tammy Long Hayward ordered Ricardo Cortez Woodford to remain in custody for the 14 days left on his prior probation sentence after hearing that Woodford was arrested on new driving-related offenses on May 18, 2026, in Henry County.
The court identified the case as State of Georgia v. Ricardo Cortez Woodford, 2022CR00860, and reviewed Woodford's record: he had been sentenced on July 21, 2025, to 12 months of probation and had 14 days remaining. The judge said the new arrest included multiple traffic and license-related offenses tied to the same incident.
During the colloquy, Judge Long Hayward asked Woodford directly whether he was "trying to kill yourself or somebody else?" After receiving a negative response, she admonished him forcefully, recounting a prior case in which a repeat DUI led to a fatal crash: "Every time somebody does this kind of thing that you're trying to do, that's what I go back to, it's the funeral that they had to have for a young lady... He was going 87 miles an hour when he hit her. He broke his leg, but she died." The judge told Woodford that remaining in custody for the 14 days of probation would be enforced.
Defense counsel confirmed Woodford had completed parts of prior supervision but the court concluded jail would continue for the balance of his probation term. The judge encouraged Woodford to pursue alcohol-treatment and acknowledged the role of alcoholism in repeat offenses: "You're an alcoholic. You can accept it if you want to, or you can continue to fight it."
The court did not announce further sentencing changes at the hearing; Woodford remains in the Clayton County Jail pending the end of the 14-day revocation period.
What happens next: Woodford will serve the identified 14 days in custody; any further prosecutions or probation changes would be formally addressed in a subsequent proceeding.
