Jalen Carter, top NFL draft prospect, charged with racing in fatal crash

Former Georgia star Jalen Carter, one of the top prospects in next month’s NFL draft, has been charged with reckless driving and racing in conjunction with the crash that a killed teammate and a recruiting staff member.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department has issued an arrest warrant, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, that alleges Carter was racing his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against the 2021 Ford Expedition driven by the recruiting staffer, 24-year-old Chandler LeCroy, which led to the Jan. 15 wreck.

The announcement came hours after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Carter was present at the scene of the crash and later provided shifting accounts of the wreck to police.

Devin Willock, who was an offensive lineman for the Bulldogs, and recruiting staff member Chandler LeCroy were killed in what police initially reported as a single-vehicle accident.

Carter is in Indianapolis at the NFL scouting combine. He had been slated to speak to reporters as part of a previously scheduled media availability, but a league spokesperson later told reporters that Carter would not be speaking Wednesday because he and five other players were still conducting physicals.

Reckless driving and racing are both misdemeanors in Georgia. Carter is expected to address the arrest warrant when he returns to Athens, according to Lt. Shaun Barnett of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.