Georgia star Jalen Carter faces arrest warrant after being implicated in crash that killed teammate

Georgia defensive tackle and top NFL Draft prospect Jalen Carter was involved in the January 15 car crash that claimed the lives of sophomore teammate Devin Willock and recruiting coordinator Chandler LeCroy, according to police, who say the group was racing their vehicles through the Athens streets at the time. 

As a result, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department has secured an arrest warrant for the 21-year-old Carter, who now faces misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing. The case is being given to Georgia's Solicitor General.

'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,' reads the statement from Athens-Clarke County police. 

Carter, who is predicted to be among the first players chosen in next month's NFL Draft, previously told police that he was a mile away from the crash, later admitted to following the other car as it wrecked, and ultimately acknowledged he was traveling alongside LeCroy's vehicle at the time of the accident. He left the crash scene before police or emergency medical workers arrived and returned an hour and a half later, denying that he was racing, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

Police also now say that LeCroy was legally intoxicated at the time of the crash with a blood-alcohol level of .197. The state limit in Georgia is 0.08. 

Georgia defensive tackle and top NFL Draft prospect Jalen Carter is being implicated in the car crash that claimed the lives offensive lineman Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy, a 24-year-old recruiting coordinator, a is now the subject of an arrest warrant in Athens

Georgia footballer Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in the January crash

Carter is expected to address the arrest warrant when he returns from the NFL pre-draft scouting combine in Indianapolis, where he was scheduled to work out for teams this week before his surprise withdrawal on Monday. It's unclear when he will return to Athens. 

'It is my understanding that Mr. Carter is making arrangements to turn himself in,' Lieutenant Shaun Barnett of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department told the AP.

In a statement released Wednesday, Carter said he plans to return to Athens to clear his name.

'There is no question in my mind that when all of the facts are known that I will be fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing,' he wrote.

The wreck occurred Sunday, January 15, at 2:45am less than two miles from the school campus, when a group of players and team staffers piled into three cars and left a local strip club to eat at a nearby Waffle House, according to police. Willock was pronounced dead at the scene, while LeCroy died shortly after being taken to the hospital. 

Police say LeCroy's 2021 Ford Expedition '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.' As a result, the vehicle hit electric poles and a trees. 

Carter's presence at the January 15 crash wasn't reported until the AJC published its piece Wednesday. Previously, officials had been working under the belief that it was a single-car accident caused by LeCroy's speed.

But officers ultimately changed that assumption after obtaining surveillance video from city-owned cameras as well as one business owner. However, authorities have declined to release the footage citing the ongoing investigation.

In a statement released Wednesday, Carter said he plans to return to Athens to clear his name. 'There is no question in my mind that when all of the facts are known that I will be fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing,' he wrote.

Police obtained surveillance video from city-owned cameras as well as one business owner, although authorities have declined to release the footage citing the ongoing investigation

Now police say both cars - Carter's and LeCroy's - were racing each other in the hours after the Bulldogs' parade, adding that LeCroy's blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit. 

'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 statement continues. 

'Evidence indicated that shortly before the crash the Expedition was traveling at about 104 miles per hour. The toxicology report indicated that Leroy's blood alcohol concentration was .197 at the time of the crash. Investigators determined that alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were factors to the crash.'

In addition to the 24-year-old LeCroy, a Bulldogs recruiting coordinator, and the 20-year-old Willock, a promising offensive lineman, another recruiting staff member, 26-year-old Tory Bowles and 21-year-old offensive lineman Warren McClendon were also injured.

Carter is known to drive the same SUV described by police. 

He previously endorsed an Ohio car dealership in a video that shows him driving a 2021 black Jeep Cherokee Trackhawk. He was also ticketed in the vehicle last fall, when Athens police allegedly found him driving 89mph in a 45 zone. He was fined $1,103, according to the AJC. 

In addition to the 24-year-old LeCroy, a Bulldogs recruiting coordinator, and the 20-year-old Willock, a promising offensive lineman, another recruiting staff member, 26-year-old Tory Bowles and 21-year-old offensive lineman Warren McClendon were also injured in the January 15 wreck

Carter was supposed to be working out at this year's pre-draft scouting combine in Indianapolis, but his agent Drew Rosenhaus said his client will instead use the first week of March to hold separate interviews with teams and undergo a physical,  according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In January, Carter announced his decision to turn pro and enter the 2023 draft after steering Georgia to a second consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship. 

Rosenhaus did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment on Wednesday morning. 

Carter is not the only Georgia player accused of reckless driving. 

Bulldogs linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, a sophomore, was arrested last week on counts of racing on city streets and reckless driving, according to Athens-Clarke County jail booking records.

The alleged incident took place on January 10 – a day after Georgia defeated TCU in the College Football Playoff national championship game in Los Angeles.

A finalist for the Butkus Award, given annually to college football's best linebacker, Dumas-Johnson was second on the Bulldogs with 70 total tackles as Georgia won its second straight national title last season. He was also a first-team All-American in 2022.

Dumas-Johnson is also believed to have been present on January 15, although he was driving his own car. Police have questioned him about the accident, according to the AJC. 

Furthermore, Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett IV was arrested in Athens on January 29 for public intoxication.  

Georgia linebacker and NFL prospect Jamon Dumas-Johnson has been arrested on counts of racing on city streets and reckless driving, according to Athens-Clarke County jail booking records