An 18-year-old driver who was involved in a single-vehicle crash that killed two teenagers in Cherokee County has been arrested, officials announced Wednesday.
Oliver Luis Roman of Powder Springs was charged with two counts each of vehicular homicide and serious injury by vehicle, reckless driving and violation of a Class D license, the Cherokee sheriff’s office said. Roman was booked Wednesday into the Cherokee jail, where he was being held without bond.
On Jan. 9 around 8:15 p.m., investigators believe Roman was driving a Mazda 6 on Towne Lake Parkway, left the road and struck a tree in the center median. Roman had four passengers in the car at the time of the crash, which killed two and injured two others.
Gabriel Escandon, 17, of Marietta, and Esteban Cortez-Rendon, 18, of Woodstock, were killed, according to investigators. Escandon died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said. The others were rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where Cortez-Rendon died. It was his 18th birthday, according to his obituary.
Another 17-year-old from Marietta sustained serious injuries in the wreck, which also injured an 18-year-old from Oklahoma, investigators said. Roman was also injured.
According to the Georgia Department of Driver Services, a Class D Georgia driver’s license is granted to applicants who are either 16 or 17 and have held a learner’s permit for 12 months and one day. Those with a Class D license must not have committed any major traffic violations and must have passed a road skills test. They also cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m. and are limited on the number of passengers, according to the DDS.
For the first six months, only immediate family members can ride in the vehicle. During the second six months, the driver can transport only one person under 21 who is not an immediate family member. After a driver has a Class D license for a year, only three passengers under 21 who are not immediate family members can ride in the vehicle, according to state law.
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
The morning after the crash, John Kopach and his son, Oliver, visited the scene and left flowers. The father and son did not want to comment but said that Oliver Kopach attended Pope High School in Cobb County with Escandon. Along with the flowers, they left a letter addressed to “Gabe.”
Escandon was a senior at Pope, where he was an honor student and varsity soccer player, according to his online obituary. He died three days before his 18th birthday.
Cortez-Rendon was a former Etowah High School student, the Cherokee school district confirmed. A joint funeral service was held for Escandon and Cortez-Rendon on Jan. 20.
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