A Cobb County grand jury has indicted a man accused of driving drunk after a Christmas party and killing a Harrison High School senior, according to the district attorney.
Jerome Lee Cox, 68, was indicted last week on seven charges, including homicide by vehicle, serious injury by vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to exercise due care to a pedestrian, failure to yield, open container and obstruction. He remained Monday in the Cobb jail, where he is being held without bond.
On Dec. 10 at 8:20 p.m., the Powder Springs man was driving a 2017 GMC Acadia eastbound on Ben King Road near Kennesaw and was approaching a crosswalk, according to police. That’s when a group of teenagers was attempting to walk across the road at a designated crosswalk, police said.
Investigators believe Cox struck 17-year-old Olivia Kate Pugh, pushing her into a wooded area beside the road. The teen died from her injuries two days later.
At the scene, Cox admitted he had been drinking but refused to give a breath sample, his arrest warrant states. After officers obtained a search warrant, Cox is accused of refusing to allow his blood to be drawn.
“Accused emitted a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage, which was strongest when he spoke, had bloodshot and watery eyes, admitted to consuming three beers while at a Christmas party, refused to provide a voluntary breath sample or perform any voluntary field evaluations,” the warrant states.
After the crash, Pugh’s family created a scholarship to honor the teen, who excelled in the classroom, was an athlete and loved the beach.
“She was kind, loving, giggling, and determined, hard-working, and full of life,” according to her family.
“In honor of Olivia Pugh’s life, we are creating the Olivia Pugh Memorial Scholarship,” her father wrote on a GoFundMe page. “Olivia was deeply loved by her family, friends and her classmates at Harrison High School. In honor of her, this scholarship will go to a hard-working and highly motivated student at Harrison High School.”
Pugh was president of the Beta Club, a member of the National Honor Society and Science Honor Society, and played softball, flag football, basketball and ran track, her family said. She also worked at Chick-fil-A.
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