Georgia’s Jalen Carter avoids jail for role in fatal crash

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Jalen Carter, a 21-year-old defensive tackle for the University of Georgia, pleaded not contesting two charges of reckless driving and racing stemming from a January car accident in January that killed two people, his attorney Kim Stephens said in a statement. a statement.

Carter, who is a potential top-five pick in the NFL draft in April, was sentenced to 12 months probation and must pay a $1,000 fine, perform 80 hours of community service and complete a state-approved defensive driving course. He will not serve jail time and cannot face additional charges in connection with the crash.

The crash killed Devin Willock, Carter’s teammate at the University of Georgia, and Chandler LeCroy, a recruiting analyst, the morning after a Jan. 14 parade to celebrate the team for winning the national championship.

Carter’s connection to the crash was not publicly revealed until March 1, when he attended the NFL’s scouting group in Indianapolis. He returned to Athens-Clarke County to surrender to police warrants that charged him with racing his Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk with a Ford Expedition driven by LeCroy. According to the police report, both cars were speeding and collided with oncoming traffic prior to the crash in Athens, Georgia.

The expedition was traveling at about 100 miles per hour when it went off the road and crashed into a utility pole, killing LeCroy, 24, and Willock, 20, a sophomore on the team. Two other passengers were injured.

Toxicology reports indicated that LeCroy was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

Stephens called the deal “fair and just and based on the evidence in this case,” adding that “Mr. Carter continues to mourn the loss of his friends and continue to pray for their families, as well as continued healing for injured friends.”

Willock’s family earlier said they had no plans to take legal action. LeCroy’s mother declined to comment.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution first reported Carter’s involvement and accusations from law enforcement that he had made conflicting statements about his whereabouts at the time of the crash.

Carter’s plea came a day after he trained in front of NFL scouts, coaches and general managers on Georgia’s pro day. According to a source who attended the training and was not authorized to speak publicly, Carter weighed 323 pounds, nine pounds more than his measurement in the scouting combination, and did not complete some exercises due to exhaustion.

Kirsten Noyes contributed research.