Jalen Carter’s legal issues stem from a January 2023 street race in Athens, Georgia, that ended in a crash killing two people, including a University of Georgia teammate. The criminal side closed quickly: Carter pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and received probation, a fine, and community service. The civil side has not. Multiple lawsuits seeking tens of millions of dollars remain active against him, his LLC, the estate of the driver, the University of Georgia Athletic Association, and other parties.
What Happened the Night of the Crash
At about 2:45 a.m. on January 15, 2023, hours after UGA’s national championship parade, a 2021 Ford Expedition driven by Chandler LeCroy, a 24-year-old UGA recruiting analyst, left Barnett Shoals Road, struck two power poles and several trees, and came to rest against an apartment building. Devin Willock, a 20-year-old UGA offensive lineman, was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. LeCroy died at the hospital. Two other passengers, Warren McClendon and Victoria “Tory” Bowles, survived; Bowles was seriously injured.
Carter was not in the Expedition. He was driving a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk in a separate vehicle. The Athens-Clarke County Police Department concluded that Carter and LeCroy had been racing after leaving downtown, weaving between lanes, using the center turn lane and oncoming traffic lanes, and traveling at high speed in what investigators described as an “apparent attempt to outdistance each other.” Surveillance footage showed the two vehicles side by side at a traffic light on East Clayton Street about five minutes before the crash.
LeCroy’s blood alcohol concentration was .197, more than twice Georgia’s legal limit. The Expedition was traveling roughly 104 mph shortly before it left the road. Police listed “alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving and speed” as contributing factors.
The Criminal Case
Arrest warrants issued on March 1, 2023. Carter surrendered at the Athens-Clarke County Jail on two misdemeanor charges, reckless driving and racing, and posted a $4,000 bond. He said publicly that he expected to be “fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”
Two weeks later, on March 16, 2023, he pleaded no contest to both charges in Athens-Clarke County Municipal Court. The sentence:
- 12 months of probation
- A $1,000 fine
- 80 hours of community service
- A state-approved defensive driving course
Carter served no jail time. The plea agreement barred the state from bringing further charges against him arising from the crash.
The Suspended License That Wasn’t Charged
Carter’s driving history has since become central to the civil claims. On September 22, 2022, he was cited for driving 89 mph in a 45 zone on Atlanta Highway in Athens, with additional citations for illegal window tint and vision-obstructing material; the speeding fine alone was $1,013. He was cited for running a red light on September 2, 2022. A July 2022 Florida speeding ticket sent him to traffic school, which he did not complete by the deadline, and his Florida driver’s license was suspended in November 2022.
Carter was driving on that suspended license the night of the fatal crash. He was never charged for it. His attorney said the solicitor’s office records did not reflect the suspension at the time of the March 2023 plea, and that with the criminal case closed he could not be retroactively charged.
The Willock Family’s $40 Million Wrongful Death Suit
On May 9, 2023, Dave Willock Sr., Devin Willock’s father, filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit in the State Court of Gwinnett County. Defendants include the UGA Athletic Association, Carter, the estate of Chandler LeCroy, Sarchione Auto Group, and Toppers International Showbar. The complaint seeks $30 million in compensatory damages from the Athletic Association and $10 million in punitive damages from Carter, alleging a “pattern of excessive speeding” and negligence.
The complaint alleges the Athletic Association was negligent in allowing LeCroy, who had her own history of speeding, to drive a university rental vehicle after a celebration where the university provided alcohol, and that UGA staff directed her to attend celebration sites that night. The university called the allegations “baseless” and said it would “strongly dispute” them.
In January 2025, the Willock family filed a separate suit in State Court in Athens against the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, seeking $2 million on a theory of vicarious liability for negligent training, supervision, and entrustment of the vehicle to LeCroy. As of the most recent reporting, the Board had not been served. No public resolution of the original $40 million suit has been reported.
Bowles v. Carter
Victoria Bowles, seriously injured as a passenger in LeCroy’s vehicle, settled her claims against the UGA Athletic Association for $1.5 million in a confidential August 19, 2024, agreement in which neither side admitted fault. Her claims against Carter and his company, Breadman Jalen LLC, are still being litigated.
On September 17, 2025, her attorneys filed a third amended complaint in the State Court of Athens-Clarke County seeking at least $5 million in general damages, plus special damages and “uncapped punitive damages.” The complaint accuses Carter of reckless driving, of engaging in an “unlawful joint enterprise” with LeCroy, and of leaving the scene without aiding the victims or informing police, conduct it describes as showing “conscious indifference to consequences.”
The September 2025 filings included excerpts from Carter’s July 7, 2025, video deposition. Carter acknowledged that driving in a manner consistent with a “launch” from a red light could be called “reckless.” Asked why he did not go down the embankment to check the wrecked vehicle, he said “it was too dark” and there was debris everywhere. Asked why he never contacted Bowles while she was hospitalized, he testified: “She wasn’t helping me get to the NFL. That was my coaches. I was going to people I needed.”
Carter’s attorney, Bill Cowsert, called the amended complaint’s allegations “completely false” and a “blatant attempt by plaintiff’s counsel to poison the jury.” Cowsert said Carter stopped at the scene, cooperated with law enforcement, and that the deposition quotes were taken out of context or given in response to leading questions. No trial date has been publicly reported.
Other Defendants Pulled Into the Litigation
Three other parties are named in the civil suits arising from the crash:
- The estate of Chandler LeCroy denies liability in both the Willock and Bowles suits. Its attorneys argue that passengers like Bowles failed to exercise “ordinary care” by riding with an intoxicated driver, and they have invoked sovereign immunity on the theory that LeCroy was acting within the scope of her UGA duties.
- Sarchione Auto Group, the Ohio dealership that provided Carter’s Jeep Trackhawk through a Name, Image and Likeness agreement, is accused in the Willock complaint of negligently entrusting a vehicle capable of 180 mph to Carter given his age and traffic record. The NIL agreement was terminated shortly after the crash. No public resolution has been reported.
- Toppers International Showbar, an Athens bar, is named under a dram shop theory. The Willock complaint alleges its employees served LeCroy shots despite visible intoxication and knowing she would soon be driving. No public response beyond the initial filing has been reported.
Where Things Stand
Carter’s criminal exposure is over. His 12-month probation term from the March 2023 plea has run, and the plea agreement blocks new state charges connected to the crash. What continues is civil. The Willock family’s $40 million wrongful death case remains unresolved, and its follow-on suit against the Board of Regents was still awaiting service as of the most recent reporting. Bowles’s suit against Carter and his LLC is active, with an amended complaint filed in September 2025, deposition testimony already on the record, and no trial date set.