LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Court records show a former UGA star was driving with a suspended license at the time of a crash that killed a teammate and injured a staff member in January.
Jalen Carter, 22, was arrested in March and charged with street racing and reckless driving in connection with the crash that killed Devin Willock, 20, and Chandler LeCroy, 24, just hours after celebrating the his second consecutive win at the national championship.
Police say Carter was racing LeCroy at the time of the Jan. 15 crash.
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Carter was sentenced to 12 months probation, a $1,000 fine, 80 hours of community service and a defensive driving course after pleading no contest to the charges.
Court documents, recently obtained by Channel 2 Action News, show that at the time of the crash, Carter’s license had been suspended.
The suspension stems from a July 23, 2022 speeding ticket in Lake County, Florida. According to court records, Carter was cited for going 49 MPH in a 40 MPH zone.
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In late August, Carter pleaded no contest to speeding, paid a $133.50 fine and agreed to attend traffic school.
The court ordered that he should complete traffic school by October 28. Court records show he did not. His license was suspended sometime after he failed traffic school.
On Jan. 26, less than two weeks after the fatal crash, Carter paid a second $105.50 fine and had his license reinstated, court records show.
Channel 2 Action News has reached out to Athens-Clarke County Police to see if they were aware of Carter’s license status at the time of his arrest. Channel 2 Action News has also reached out to the attorneys representing Carter in this matter. We haven’t had an answer either.
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This new information comes just days after Devin Willock’s father, Dave Willock, filed a $40 million lawsuit against the UGA athletic association, Carter and more.
Dave Willock and Willock’s estate are asking the defendants for $30 million in compensatory damages and an additional $10 million in punitive damages from Carter, according to the lawsuit obtained by Channel 2’s Tom Jones.
Carter joined the NFL last month when the Philadelphia Eagles selected him with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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