Jalen Carter was driving with a suspended license during the night of the Jan. 15 incident in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia that led to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing, court documents show.
The vehicle that Carter was alleged to be racing against crashed, resulting in the death of Georgia teammate Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy.
Carter, a former Georgia defensive lineman, pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community service. He was not charged with driving with a suspended license.
“The driver’s history that the solicitor’s office ran back in March of 2023 did not show any license suspension,” Carter’s attorney Kim Stephens told ESPN. “Otherwise, they would have charged him with that.”
Asked if Carter was aware his license was suspended, Stephens replied: “I don’t have any idea. I would assume not but I don’t know that.”
The suspended license stemmed from a speeding ticket in Lake County, Florida on July 23, 2022, court documents show. Along with paying a fine of $133.50 on Aug. 29, Carter elected to take part in traffic school — typically recommended to defendants to avoid points being put on their driving record, an employee of the Lake County clerk’s office said. He had until Oct. 28 to complete the course. Failure to do so resulted in the suspended license, which came into full effect on Nov. 28, the employee said.
His license was reinstated on Jan. 26 — 11 days after the incident — following payment of $150.50, documents show.
A representative of the Lake County department of motor vehicles confirmed that a person who has a suspended license should not be driving regardless of which state he or she is in, and that it is against the law to do so.
With the case against Carter closed, he cannot retroactively be charged with another crime related to the Jan. 15 incident, Stephens said.
The father of Devin Willock has filed a lawsuit against the University of Georgia Athletic Association on May 9, claiming the school’s athletic department should be held liable for the January car crash that killed Willock and LeCroy. Carter is also listed as a defendant.
The lawsuit cites two other times Carter was stopped by Georgia authorities: On Sept. 2, 2022, when he was cited for running a red light by Athens Clarke County police, and Sept. 22 when he was ticketed for speeding after allegedly being clocked going 89 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone.
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Carter with the No. 9 overall pick in last month’s NFL draft.
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