A murder trial is taking place this week in Chattooga County Superior Court involving the June 2025 shooting death of 27-year-old Christopher “DJ” Chapman.
A 66-year-old Lyerly man died Tuesday following an accident involving a pedestrian and a motor vehicle on Highway 114, according to the Chattooga County Coroner’s Office.
The Coroner’s Office says it was notified of the fatal accident at approximately 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, August 25, 2026. The accident occurred in the 6000 block of Highway 114 in Lyerly.
The victim was identified as Tony L. Edgeworth, 66, of Lyerly.
According to the release, Edgeworth was treated at the scene by Atrium Floyd EMS and LifeForce Air Medical personnel. Officials initially prepared for possible air transport, but Edgeworth was determined to be too unstable to be transported by helicopter.
He was instead transported by ambulance to Atrium Floyd Chattooga Emergency Room, where he later died from his injuries.
Chattooga County Coroner Jeremy McElhaney and the Georgia State Patrol are investigating the accident. Additional details about the circumstances surrounding the collision were not included in the initial release.
The Coroner’s Office asked the community to keep Edgeworth’s family in their prayers during this difficult time.
Photo Credit: Scott Harding
A Jeep driver was injured Tuesday afternoon in a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer on Georgia Highway 48 near the foot of Lookout Mountain outside Menlo.
The crash occurred around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday as the tractor-trailer was traveling east toward Menlo and the Jeep Wrangler was traveling west toward Alabama from the Shinbone area.
According to information provided to WZQZ News by the Georgia State Patrol, the driver of the Jeep lost control of the vehicle, crossed into the lane of the oncoming tractor-trailer and was struck head-on.
The Jeep driver was conscious following the collision and was transported by Atrium Health Floyd EMS for medical treatment.
The Georgia State Patrol told WZQZ News that the driver is expected to recover.
The accident was investigated by the Georgia State Patrol. The official crash report remained incomplete Tuesday evening, and additional details were not immediately available.
WZQZ News will provide additional information if it becomes available.
Georgia’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance has opened an investigation into the Georgia State Patrol’s so-called “PIT for Pay” scandal involving former troopers who allegedly profited from insurance claims tied to crashes they caused during vehicle pursuits.
The investigation follows the firing of four Georgia State Patrol troopers who were found to have pursued personal injury settlements after performing PIT maneuvers, a law enforcement tactic used to stop fleeing vehicles by intentionally causing them to spin out.
According to records released during the investigation, three former troopers received nearly $100,000 in combined insurance settlements. A fourth trooper was fired for failing to report the practice and attempting to participate himself.
One case involved former Trooper Hunter Waters, who reportedly received a $25,000 insurance settlement following a pursuit-related crash involving a vehicle owned by Latesha Banks. Banks was not driving the vehicle and was not present when the crash occurred.
Banks says she later learned of the insurance claim and has since faced higher insurance premiums despite not being responsible for the incident. She is seeking to have the settlement money returned and her insurance costs reduced.
Internal investigations found that multiple former troopers referred pursuit-related crashes to an attorney and obtained settlements through insurance claims.
The four troopers involved were terminated for violating department policy and ethical standards. No criminal charges have been filed.
The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance continues to investigate the matter, while some insurance companies involved are reportedly reviewing their legal options.
Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader released a statement to local media explaining the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Billy Joe Dooley following a crash Friday evening that resulted in DUI charges.
A Chattooga County Sheriff’s Deputy was involved in a single-vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon while en route to a cardiac arrest call. According to Sheriff Mark Schrader, Deputy Ben Mollohan was responding with emergency lights and sirens traveling southbound on Highway 100 just before the Four Mile Curve when the incident occurred. “As Deputy Mollohan crested the hill, a truck, reacting to the emergency lights, immediately stopped in the roadway,” Sheriff Schrader stated. To avoid colliding with the stopped vehicle, Deputy Mollohan took evasive action, steering the patrol car into a large ditch adjacent to the highway. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Sheriff Schrader confirmed that the only property damage sustained was to the patrol vehicle itself. No other vehicles or property were damaged in the incident. The Georgia State Patrol (GSP) responded to the scene and conducted the accident investigation.