Jalen Carter, a college football star who was primed as the number one NFL draft pick, turned himself in to police in relation to a fatal car crash that left two people dead, including one of his teammates. On Wednesday night (March 1), he was booked for reckless driving and racing on highways/streets.
Both charges are considered misdemeanors. Carter was booked at 11:33 p.m. ET and released at 11:49 p.m. after posting a $4,000 bond, online records revealed. An arraignment hearing was set for April 18.
Officials believe that Carter, who is a defensive tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs, was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk in a high-speed race with the teams’s recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, 24, that ended in the deaths LeCroy and Carter’s teammate Devin Willock, 20.
LeCroy was allegedly driving a Ford Expedition at more than 100 miles per hour. Toxicology reports revealed that she had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. In addition, two other members of the Georgia football team were injured in the accident.
In a statement, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department explained: “The evidence demonstrated that both vehicles switched between lanes, drove in the centre 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.”
In a statement posted on social media Wednesday (March 1) afternoon, Carter wrote that he will “answer the misdemeanor charges against me and to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented.” He also said he expects to be “fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”