Police have issued arrest warrants for Jalen Carter, a former University of Georgia football star and NFL standout who is now being charged for his alleged involvement in Fatal car accident that claimed two lives in January.
The Athens-Clark County Sheriff’s Department announced Wednesday that Carter, 21, faces reckless driving and racing charges. He was charged in connection with an accident, initially described as a single-car crash near campus on January 15, that killed a fellow Georgia football player. Devin Willock and staff member Chandler Lecroy.
Lecroy, a 24-year-old recruitment analyst for the Bulldogs football team and a University of Georgia graduate, was operating the car when it “left the road, hit two power poles and several trees” at about 2:45 a.m., police said in a statement released immediately after the wreck. Willock, a 20-year-old offensive lineman for the Bulldogs, was inside the car and pronounced dead at the scene. Lockroy was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died of her injuries, according to police.
Subsequent investigations revealed that LeCroy, who was driving a 2021 Ford Expedition, and Carter, who was driving a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk, “were operating their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing” prior to the fatal crash, police said Wednesday. The two cars had left the downtown area of Athens around 2:30 that morning, and proceeded to switch lanes, drive in the center-turning lane and drive “in opposite lanes to travel” while overtaking other motorists while driving at high speeds,” in an apparent effort To outdo each other.”
Carter acknowledged the arrest warrants in a statement shared on Facebook Twitter Wednesday afternoon.
“There is no doubt in my mind that when all the facts are known, I will be wholly cleared of any criminal wrongdoing,” Carter wrote. The statement also alleged that some reports about the January incident and the charges against him are inaccurate.
“Several media reports distributed this morning contain inaccurate information related to the tragic events that took place on January 15, 2023,” he said in the statement. “I intend to return to Athens to answer the misdemeanor charges against me and to ensure that the full and accurate truth is presented.”
In their announcement Wednesday, Athens-Clark County Sheriff’s Department said evidence indicated LeCroy’s car was traveling at about 104 miles per hour before the accident, and noted that his blood alcohol concentration was 0.197 when the accident occurred.
“Investigators have determined that alcoholism, racing, reckless driving and speeding were significant contributing factors to the accident,” police said.
Carter left the scene before returning, about an hour later, to give a statement to the police, CBS Sports mentioned. Additional interviews reviewed Atlanta Journal Constitution Carter reportedly mislead prosecutors as to his whereabouts at the time of the crash, initially saying he was about a mile away when the crash occurred and later admitting he was there, according to the newspaper.
University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart responded to the arrest warrants in a statement released Wednesday morning.
“The accusations announced today are deeply troubling, especially as we are still grappling with the devastating loss of two beloved members of our community,” Smart said. “We will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities while supporting these families and assessing what we can learn from this terrible tragedy.”
Carter is widely considered one of the best prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, with many projecting him to be among the top five, according to CBS Sports. He earned consensus All-American honors after an outstanding junior season at Georgia. Carter recorded seven tackles for loss and three sacks from the defensive tackle position, standing as a catalyst behind Georgia’s historic 15-0 campaign.
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