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Hit and Run Driver Held

Posted On September 1st, 2011 By CSSFIRM.COM

As previously reported, it is confirmed that two people were arrested in Cobb County as a result of a August 20 fatal hit and run motorcycle crash .

Pamela Kay Rice, a Marietta resident, and Brandon Michael Weston, a Smyrna resident, were taken into custody last Tuesday and charged with 2nd degree vehicular homicide; hit and run; and tampering with evidence.  According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Weston was also charged with several traffic related offenses.  Both Rice and Weston are being held without a bond.

On August 20, Weston was operating a 1987 silver Porsche 944 without having it registered and without any insurance.  According to the warrant, Weston and Rice conspired to have the car taken to a repair shop in Alabaster, Alabama where the damage to the car was to be repaired.  The shop’s paperwork was changed to say the work on the Porsche was done and completed before the hit and run occurred.

On August 20, Emanuel R. Mitchell, a 31 year old Nocross resident, was driving a black 1990 Kawaski Vulcan motorcycle.  He was struck by two vehicles on I-75 in the southbound lane near Windy Hill Road and tragically died at the scene.

One of the drivers, Sonni Smith, an Atlanta resident, told police that her Mazda 3 struck Mitchell after the driver of the Porsche made contact with his motorcycle.  Smith said that the driver of the Porsche fled the scene after the crash.  According to AJC, Smith is not facing charges.  Since August 20th, police have been looking for the Porsche driver.

According to authorities, the break in the case came after someone observed the damage to the Porsche at a body shop in Alabaster.  Suspicious, he contacted the Alabaster police.  The parts of the car were recovered from the original crime scene and matched the damaged Porsche at the body ship.

A hit and run accident is considered a serious crime in the state of Georgia – one that carries stiff legal consequences. Georgia law clearly stipulates that it is illegal to leave the scene of an accident before driver information is exchanged, injuries are attended to, and/or police or emergency professionals arrive on the scene. Drivers who fail to do so are committing a “hit and run” which, depending on the circumstances, can be classified as a felony or a misdemeanor. Drivers who commit a hit and run are subject to large penalties and possible substantial prison time, depending in part on the severity of the crash and injuries sustained.

Our  thoughts are with Mr. Mitchell’s family.

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