Deputy injured in Martinez multi-car crash; 1 driver arrested
MARTINEZ, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A Thanksgiving morning DUI accident injured a deputy and led to a driver’s arrest in Martinez, according to authorities.
Off-duty deputy John Boy Muldrow suffered a possible concussion in a three-vehicle crash the Georgia State Patrol blamed on 24-year-old Garrett DeVore, of Appling.
The crash was reported just before 9:30 a.m. on Old Evans Road near Harden Street.
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The Georgia State Patrol said its preliminary investigation revealed a Ford F250 driven by DeVore didn’t stay in its lane while traveling north on Old Evans Road.
DeVore’s pickup collided head-on with a northbound vehicle, causing several other vehicles to be struck, according to troopers.
Muldrow and one other person were injured in the crash that left a car in a ditch and another with a crumpled front end.
DeVore was arrested and charged with failure to maintain lane, driving with a suspended license, driving under the influence and two counts of serious injury by a vehicle, according to GSP and Columbia County jail records.
The patrol said it got involved in the investigation at the request of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
DeVore was also charged in 2021 with possession of a Schedule I controlled substance (fentanyl analogs) and received probation, according to court records.
The crash came on a busy travel weekend, with more than 1.5 million Georgians planning to drive somewhere for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Authorities said they’d be out trying to keep the roads safe amid the travel surge.
“You’re going to see a tremendous amount more violations than you’d normally see on a regular day,” Sgt. Rodney Rozier said.
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