Warrants out for arrest of Jalen Carter, ex-Georgia star and NFL draft prospect

Police have secured arrest warrants for former Georgia star Jalen Carter stemming from the highest NFL draft prospect’s alleged involvement in a deadly crash involving a teammate.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department introduced Wednesday that Carter will likely be arrested for reckless driving and racing.

The announcement got here hours after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Carter was current on the scene of the Jan. 15 crash and later supplied shifting accounts of the wreck to police.

Devin Willock, an offensive lineman for the Bulldogs, and recruiting employees member Chandler LeCroy had been killed in what police initially reported as a single-vehicle accident.

Carter is in Indianapolis on the NFL scouting mix. He had been slated to talk to reporters as a part of a beforehand scheduled media availability, however a league spokesperson later instructed reporters that Carter wouldn’t be talking Wednesday as a result of he and 5 different gamers had been nonetheless conducting physicals.

Details of the investigation, launched Wednesday, cited proof that Carter and LeCroy had been “operating their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing” shortly earlier than the crash.

“The evidence demonstrated that both vehicles switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, overtook other motorists, and drove at high rates of speed, in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other,” the police assertion stated.

Police investigators have decided that “alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.” A toxicology report indicated that LeCroy’s blood alcohol focus was .197 — greater than twice the authorized restrict in Georgia — on the time of the crash, based on police.

The 2021 Ford Expedition pushed by LeCroy was travelling at about 104 mph shortly earlier than the crash.

According to paperwork and recordings of 911 calls reviewed by the Journal-Constitution, at the very least two autos pushed by Georgia soccer gamers had been on the scene, together with the 2021 Jeep Trackhawk pushed by Carter, who left the scene earlier than police or emergency personnel arrived.

Carter returned to the scene lower than two hours later, based on the paper, which reported that he was requested by police whether or not he had been racing the automobile that crashed.

Documents reviewed by the Journal-Constitution present that Carter first instructed police that he heard the crash from a close-by house advanced, however then later instructed an officer that he had been driving each behind and beside the SUV pushed by LeCroy.

The Journal-Constitution additionally obtained surveillance video footage from a number of downtown places in Athens, Georgia, taken the night time of the crash. The footage, which additionally has been reviewed by police, reveals three autos leaving the realm on the similar time: Carter’s Jeep, LeCroy’s Ford, and a 2019 Dodge Charger pushed by Bulldogs linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson.

Carter denied racing to the officer, who noticed no indicators that the 310-pound defensive lineman had been consuming, based on the Journal-Constitution.

The crash occurred hours after the Bulldogs celebrated successful back-to-back nationwide championships with a parade and ceremony at Sanford Stadium. Willock, 20, was pronounced lifeless on the scene whereas LeCroy, 24, died shortly after being taken to a hospital.

Police investigators stated the Ford pushed by LeCroy “failed to negotiate a left curve, resulting in the vehicle striking the curb with its front passenger tire and leaving the roadway on the west shoulder.”

The SUV struck a Georgia Power pole and one other utility pole, slicing them in half, earlier than putting a tree on the rear passenger quarter panel. That despatched the automobile spinning in a clockwise route earlier than it slammed into one other tree on the motive force’s aspect — the place each LeCroy and Willock had been sitting.

Georgia athletic division officers have acknowledged that the SUV pushed by LeCroy was for use just for recruiting actions, not private use.

Carter is the No. 1 general prospect on this yr’s draft, based on ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. He is just not collaborating within the exercise portion of this week’s NFL scouting mix in Indianapolis however will conduct interviews with groups and bear a bodily.

Information from The Associated Press was used on this report.