After a car crash that killed a teammate and a member of recruitment staff, Jalen Carter, one of the top prospects in the NFL draft next month, has been charged with reckless driving and racing.
The arrest warrant, which was acquired by The Associated Press, states that the Athens-Clarke County Police Department in Georgia alleges Carter was racing his Jeep against the Ford Expedition driven by 24-year-old Chandler LeCroy, the recruitment staff member, which led to the accident back on Jan. 15th.
The announcement came just hours after it was reported that Carter was in fact present at the scene of the crash and that he had provided changing accounts of the accident to police. Devin Willock, who was Carter’s former teammate and an offensive lineman for the Georgia Bulldogs, and LeCroy were killed in what police initially reported as a single-vehicle accident.
Carter was booked for reckless driving and racing, both misdemeanors, late on Wednesday night and then released almost immediately after, posting a $4,000 bond and an arraignment has been set for April 18th, 2023.
Carter posted his statement to social media, saying that he had plans to return to Athens to “answer the misdemeanor charges against [him] and to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented.”
Carter also stated that he anticipates that he will be “fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.