Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash

Former Georgia star Jalen Carter, among the top prospects in next month’s NFL draft, has actually been charged with reckless driving and racing in connection with a crash that eliminated a colleague and a hiring staff member.The Athens-Clarke County(Georgia)Authorities Department has released an arrest warrant, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, which alleges Carter was racing his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against the 2021 Ford Exploration driven by the recruiting staffer, 24-year-old Chandler LeCroy, which resulted in the Jan. 15 wreck.The announcement came hours after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Carter was present at the scene of the crash and later on offered moving accounts of the wreck to police.Devin Willock, who was an offending lineman for the Bulldogs, and LeCroy were killed in what cops initially reported as a single-vehicle accident.Carter is in Indianapolis at the NFL scouting combine. He had been slated to talk to reporters as part of a previously arranged media schedule, however a league representative later on informed reporters that Carter would not be speaking Wednesday since he and 5 other players were still carrying out physicals.Reckless driving and racing are both misdemeanors in Georgia.In a statement posted to social media later Wednesday, Carter said he intends to return to Athens to”respond to the misdemeanor charges against me and to make certain that the total and precise

fact exists.”Carter’s agents informed cops that they were”making plans for [Carter] to turn himself in,” according to Shaun Barnett, a spokesperson for the Athens-Clarke County Authorities Department.Barnett informed

ABC News that Athens authorities “have actually been in contact with his representatives”however said he did not understand when Carter will turn himself in.Carter also said in his declaration that he expects to be”fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.” pic.twitter.com/NbqNfIytBm!.?.!— Jalen Carter(@breadmanjalen )March 1, 2023 Details of the investigation, launched Wednesday, cited evidence that Carter and LeCroy were”running their cars in a manner consistent with racing “quickly before the crash. “The evidence demonstrated that both vehicles changed between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, surpassed other motorists,

and drove at high rates of speed, in an evident attempt to outdistance each other,”the cops declaration said.Police detectives have determined that” alcohol problems, racing, reckless driving, and speed were substantial contributing elements to the crash.”A toxicology report showed that LeCroy’s blood alcohol concentration was.197– more than twice the legal limit in Georgia– at the time of the crash, according to police.The SUV driven by LeCroy was taking a trip about 104 mph shortly prior to

the crash.”The charges announced today are deeply concerning, specifically as we are still struggling to cope with the terrible loss of 2 beloved members of our community,”Georgia coach Kirby Smart stated in a statement.”We will continue to comply totally with the authorities while supporting these households and examining what we can learn from this dreadful disaster. “According to documents and recordings of 911 calls examined by the

Journal-Constitution, a minimum of two automobiles driven by Georgia football players had actually been at the scene, consisting of the Jeep driven by Carter, who left the scene before authorities or emergency personnel arrived.Carter went back to the scene less than two hours later, according to the paper, which reported that he was asked by cops whether he had actually been racing the automobile that crashed.Documents reviewed by the Journal-Constitution show that Carter first told authorities that he heard the crash from a neighboring apartment complex, but then later told an officer he had actually been driving both behind and beside the SUV driven by LeCroy.The Journal-Constitution also got surveillance video footage from numerous downtown locations in Athens taken the night of the crash. The video, which likewise has been examined by police, reveals 3 automobiles leaving the location at the very same time: Carter’s Jeep

, LeCroy’s Ford and a 2019 Dodge Charger driven by Bulldogs linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson. Carter denied racing to the officer, who observed no indications that the 310-pound defensive lineman had actually been drinking, according to the Journal-Constitution

. The crash happened hours after the Bulldogs celebrated winning back-to-back championship games with a parade and event at Sanford Stadium. Willock was noticable dead at the scene. He was 20. LeCroy died shortly after being required to a hospital.Police private investigators stated the Ford driven by LeCroy”stopped working to work out a left curve, resulting in the car striking the curb with its

front traveler tire and leaving the street on the west shoulder.” The SUV struck a Georgia Power pole and another utility pole, slicing the poles in half, prior to striking a tree on the rear passenger quarter panel. That sent out the vehicle spinning in a clockwise instructions before it knocked into another tree on the motorist’s side– where LeCroy and Willock were sitting.Offensive lineman Warren McClendon, who had just revealed plans to go into the NFL draft, continual small injuries. Georgia football staffer Victoria Bowles was hospitalized with more serious injuries.Georgia athletic department officials have stated that the SUV driven by LeCroy was to be utilized just for recruiting activities, not individual use.Carter is the No. 1 prospect in the draft, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. He is not taking part in the exercise part of the combine however will perform interviews with groups and undergo a physical.Dumas-Johnson, the Bulldogs ‘second-leading tackler last season, also was apprehended on Feb. 22 on charges of careless driving and racing associated to a separate incident.According to Athens-Clarke County jail records, Dumas-Johnson was released on Feb. 23 after publishing a combined bond of $4,000–$2,500 for presumably racing on highways/streets and$1,500 for alleged negligent driving.Information from The Associated Press was

used in this report.