Three dead after police chase ends in crash in Dodge County

A motorist fleeing from a Dodge County deputy was hospitalized and his three passengers killed in a crash in Dodge County, authorities say.

Jonathan Long, 37, of Milan, Alicia Cherry, 35, of Milan, and Casey Kroesser, 30, of Eastman, were killed in the crash on Ga. 46 about a tenth-of-a-mile west of Lester Saunders Road at 5:39 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

The driver, Charles Howell, 29, of Helena, was airlifted to the Medical Center, Navicent Health. Charges are pending against Howell, who is in stable condition with injuries that were not life threatening, said Georgia State Patrol Cpl. Darrell Thigpen.

Howell was fleeing from a Dodge County sheriff’s deputy east on Ga. 46 when Howell failed to maintain his lane and crossed the center line into oncoming traffic, according to an email from the Georgia State Patrol.

Howell then over-corrected and the Honda Civic ran off the roadway onto the right shoulder — striking a large oak tree with its front driver’s side, the email said.

After impact, the Civic continued to rotate and overturned, striking several more trees before coming to rest facing north in a ditch.

Howell, Long and Kroesser were ejected from the vehicle, Thigpen said.

The deputy had attempted to make a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled away and a pursuit ensued, according to the email.

“At the beginning of the chase, (the deputy) was trying to catch up to them,” Thigpen said. “He was getting closer. The way he described it, he wasn’t quite close enough to get a tag yet when they crashed out.”

The Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is conducting a follow-up investigation.

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office referred comment to the state patrol.

This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 9:53 AM.