Wilcher Sentenced on Vehicular Homicide Charges
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Middle Judicial Circuit Chief Superior Court Judge Robert Reeves sentenced Lauren Brooke Wilcher, 18, of Uvalda, to serve at least 10 years in prison on Thursday, March 20, for a wreck that killed two teenagers and left one critically injured.
According to the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office, emergency respond-ers were dis patched to the intersection of GA Hwy 130 W e s t (Adams Street) and Kingswood Drive in reference to a single car accident at continued from page
12:46 a.m. on March 9, 2024. Upon arrival, deputies found a Dodge Charger R/T that had left the roadway and crashed. Four teenagers were occupants of the vehicle: driver Lauren Wilcher, 18, of Uvalda; and passengers Brooke Williamson, 18, of Oak Park; Caleb Howell, 19, of Odum; and Kyle Jackson, 19, of Vidalia. Deputies indicated that the vehicle carrying the teens was traveling west on GA 130 when it left the road and struck a pine tree.
Williamson and Jackson succumbed to their injuries at the scene. Howell was ejected from the vehicle and Wilcher was found in the vehicle. Both Howell and Wilcher were transported to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah with life threatening injuries.
The Georgia State Patrol Post 18 (Reidsville) investigated the accident, and Wilcher was arrested on March 22, 2024, but was released the same day on bond.
Her bond was revoked on July 18, 2024, when Assistant District Attorney Jessica Wilson and Toombs County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Robin Banks told Judge Reeves that Wilcher had violated her bond conditions by contacting fellow crash survivor Caleb Howell, breaking her curfew restrictions, and going to places that were prohibited by the bond conditions, which had been agreed upon, written, and signed by Wilcher.
During the bond hearing, Judge Reeves spoke directly to the 18 year-old, stating that he felt these violations were intentional, and suspended her bond.
On March 20, Wilcher plead guilty to vehicular homicide charges during the hearing; she and her attorney, Kendall Gross, requested that the Judge Reeves grant her first offender status, which would remove the incident from her record. Wilcher tearfully apologized to the family and friends of the victims, stating that she accepted “full responsibility” for the incident.
During the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Wilson told Judge Reeves that the Georgia State Patrol (GSP) Specialized Collision and Reconstruction Team determined that Wilcher was driving between 99 and 121 mph in rainy conditions prior to the crash, which caused her to lose control of the vehicle and hit the tree. Wilson also stated that Wilcher told the officers that responded to the wreck that she had consumed 3 beers before driving, and a toxicology report found traces of a generic form of Prozac in her system at the time of the wreck.
Judge Reeves denied Wilcher’s request for first offender status, stating that she needed to endure the consequences of her actions throughout her lifetime. Wilcher was sentenced to 45 years in prison with a minimum of 10 years to be served. If she is released after 10 years, Wilcher will be on probation for 35 years to account for the balance of this sentence. Her probation guidelines will follow the standard practices with the addition that Wilcher will surrender her driver’s license while on probation.
Judge Reeves stated that this is the longest sentence which he has ever issued on a vehicular homicide case.
