A Lavonia man faces first-degree vehicular homicide charges for a wreck that killed his girlfriend and injured his two young children.
State troopers determined that Dustin Cecil Owen was driving under the influence when the pickup truck he was driving ran off the road and crashed into a tree. The afternoon wreck occurred April 2 on Lankford Road in Hart County, southeast of Lavonia.
The wreck killed 22-year-old Brittney Nicole Lewis of Lavonia. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Owen’s 1-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter were also with him during the crash. They sustained minor injuries, troopers say.
The wreck seriously injured the 29-year-old Owen. Officials took him into custody following his release from a Greenville, South Carolina hospital. He was extradited back to Georgia after waiving his right to an extradition hearing and is now being held at the Hart County jail, says Cpl. William Jordan of Georgia State Patrol Post 52 in Hartwell.
Troopers from Post 52 and members of the Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team investigated the crash.
In addition to vehicular homicide, troopers charged Owen with driving under the influence, two counts of child endangerment, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving, and violating tire requirements.
Cpl. Jordan says the investigation into the accident remains active and ongoing.
