Jalen Carter, has been charged with reckless driving and racing in conjunction with the crash that killed Devin Willock and a staff member.

Jalen Carter : Crash | Arrest Warrant | Trackhawk

Carter was born on April 4, 2001, Apopka, Florida, later attending Apopka High School. As a senior, he had 12 sacks, 64 tackles, and a touchdown.

Jalen Carter : Crash | Arrest Warrant | Trackhawk

A five-star recruit ranked the 18th overall prospect in his class, Carter committed to play college football at the University of Georgia.

Carter played in eight games as a freshman, recording 12 tackles and a touchdown reception. In Carter’s sophomore season, he tallied 31 tackles and three sacks in 12 games.

This performance earned him a spot on the 2021 All-SEC football team. Georgia won the National Championship that year over Alabama.

Jalen Carter crash 

Carter, 21, faces charges for reckless driving and racing, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department announced on Wednesday.

He is accused in connection with an accident, initially characterized as a single-vehicle crash near the university campus on Jan. 15, which killed fellow Georgia football player Devin Willock and team staff member Chandler LeCroy.

LeCroy, a 24-year-old recruiting analyst for the Bulldogs football team and graduate from the University of Georgia, was operating the car when it “left the roadway, striking two power poles and several trees” at around 2:45 a.m., police said in a statement issued directly after the wreck.

Willock, an 20-year-old offensive lineman for the Bulldogs, was inside the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. LeCroy was transferred to a nearby hospital where she later died from her injuries, according to police.

A subsequent investigation found that LeCroy, driving a 2021 Ford Expedition, and Carter, driving a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk, “were operating their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing” leading up to the deadly crash, police said on Wednesday.

Both vehicles had left the downtown Athens area at around 2:30 a.m. that morning, and proceeded to switch between lanes, drive in the center turn lane and drive “in opposite lanes of travel” while overtaking other motorists while driving at high speeds, “in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other.”

Carter acknowledged the warrants in a statement shared on Twitter Wednesday afternoon.

Jalen Carter Arrest Warrant 

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department has issued an arrest warrant, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, that alleges Carter was racing his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against the 2021 Ford Expedition driven by the recruiting staffer, 24-year-old Chandler LeCroy, which led to the Jan. 15 wreck.

Jalen Carter : Crash | Arrest Warrant | Trackhawk

Carter had been due in Indianapolis on Wednesday for the NFL scouting combine and is expected to address the arrest warrant when he returns to Athens, according to Lt. Shaun Barnett of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department

“It is my understanding that Mr. Carter is making arrangements to turn himself in,” Barnett said in an e-mail to the AP.

The crash occurred just hours after the Bulldogs celebrated their second straight national championship with a parade and ceremony, killing LeCroy and Willock.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart expressed his concern about the charges in a statement issued Wednesday.

“The charges announced today are deeply concerning, especially as we are still struggling to cope with the devastating loss of two beloved members of our community,” Smart said.

According to the arrest warrant, the investigation by Athens police found that LeCroy and Carter were operating their vehicles “in a manner consistent with racing” after leaving downtown Athens around 2:30 a.m.

The warrant says evidence shows the vehicles switched lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes, overtook other motorists and drove at high rates of speed “in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other.”

Trackhawk 

Carter was to appear at the NFL combine to speak to media about a half-hour before the news of the charges broke Wednesday.

Jalen Carter : Crash | Arrest Warrant | Trackhawk

“The investigation found that Chandler LeCroy, driver of the 2021 Ford Expedition, and Jalen Carter, driver of a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk, were operating their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing shortly after leaving the downtown Athens area at about 2:30 AM,” an Athens-Clarke County police press release said about the crash.

According to Athens-Clarke County police, a 2021 Ford Expedition driven by LeCroy was heading south in the outside lane of Barnett Shoals Road about 2:45 a.m. Jan. 15 when the vehicle left the roadway, striking two power poles and several trees in the 900 block of Barnett Shoals Road.

The police release continued that “evidence indicated that shortly before the crash the Expedition was traveling at about 104 miles per hour. The toxicology report indicated that LeCroy’s blood alcohol concentration was .197 at the time of the crash. Investigators determined that alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.”

Athens-Clarke County police charged Carter with reckless driving and racing. Both are misdemeanors.

By Rishabh

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