A 22-year-old Marietta man faces first-degree felony vehicular homicide charges after police say he drove under the influence, crossed the center line on Sandtown Road and caused a head-on crash that killed a 41-year-old Atlanta woman the night of Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Carlos A. Garcia was driving a 2007 Ford F-150 northbound on Sandtown Road south of Booth Road around 9:20 p.m. when he failed to maintain his lane and veered into oncoming traffic, according to the Cobb County Police Department's Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Unit, as reported by 11Alive. Garcia did not have a valid driver's license at the time of the crash, police said.
His truck crossed into the path of a 2009 Honda Odyssey driven southbound by Kerby Pierre, 37, of Atlanta. Pierre steered left to avoid the collision, but the vehicles struck each other. The impact caused both to rotate before coming to rest in the roadway.
Keena Pierre, 41, of Atlanta, a passenger in the minivan, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Cobb County Medical Examiner. Katie Stephens, 82, of Marietta, another passenger, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Kerby Pierre was not injured.
Garcia was not injured.
Charges and detention
Garcia was arrested and charged with five offenses: driving under the influence, driving without a valid license, failure to maintain lane, failure to wear a seat belt and first-degree felony vehicular homicide. He is being held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
Police have not disclosed whether Garcia's alleged impairment involved alcohol, drugs or a combination, and no blood alcohol concentration results have been released, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
STEP Unit investigation
The crash is being investigated by the CCPD's STEP Unit, which handles all fatal traffic crashes in the county.
The Sandtown Road fatality marks the second fatal or serious-injury crash the STEP Unit has investigated in the area in recent weeks. A motorcyclist was critically injured on Barrett Parkway on July 25 in a separate incident.
The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information can contact the STEP Unit at 770-499-3987.
